Eyeglasses Scratched? "Pros" Want Nothing To Do With You

One night I sat my glasses on a little sill below my car's radio as I went into work. The next day when I picked up my glasses I noticed a 'smudge' on one of the lenses. Upon closer inspection the right lens was scratched.

Fuck me.

I figured that it could be buffed out really easily. I went to an eye-care place up the road and they wanted nothing to do with me. 'Sorry, can't help you. We do not fix lenses'. It was in a pretty condescending tone too. They offered to 'special order' new lenses for me, but after the way I was treated I said 'no thank you' and walked out of the store. They shouldn't call it an 'eye care' place if they cannot maintain the very product that they sell.

The last time I checked there is no local business that exclusively (or offers) does eyeglass repair. That is because the majority of people with glasses have some kind of insurance which replaces the lens and/or the frames annually. Why bother repairing glasses people are going to likely discard? It's absolutely frustrating.

I've had this problem before albeit with other things. A lot of places in the area, for example will sell guns but refuse to do any work on them. It's very hard to find a qualified gunsmith in the area. It's even harder to find a qualified gunsmith who isn't backed up for eight fucking weeks. The same goes for small electronic devices- no one works on them and you have to 'special' order one or order a replacement that will take weeks to arrive.

I tried the old fashioned 'tricks'. Gel toothpaste didn't buff it out, normal toothpaste didn't buff it out and baking soda/water didn't buff it out. I have car polish somewhere in my closet but I refuse to dig for it right now- so I am stuck in a bind.

I don't have optical or dental insurance because I cannot afford it. My employer- who won't be my employer in three or four days does not offer that insurance to part time employees. I hate eyeglass cases because they are bulky and cumbersome- but I think I've learned my lesson here- despite being careful with eyeglasses for years. I'll have to look into an alternative to bulky cases and get used to carrying them around.

Good thing I have a backup pair that is not scratched.

More WTF on Eyeglasses [recommended reading:]
http://www.alternet.org/story/148024/wow_--_the_eyewear_industry_is_an_incredible_ripoff%2C_but_there_are_alternatives