The color of the lenses is one of the primary characteristics of sunglasses. While certain tints are recommended for particular activities, lens color is mostly a personal preference and doesn’t affect how well the sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays.
Other than just liking the way you look in red (or blue or orange) lenses, why should you choose one color over another? Here are the most common lens colors and why you might pick one over another.
Gray – The most neutral tint. It affects your color vision the least. Great for most activities.
Green – Provides contrast and helps reduce glare and eye strain. Ideal for golf, tennis and everyday use.
Red or rose – Block blue light, so they improve driving visibility while reducing eye strain. They enhance detail and increase depth of field. They work well for hunting, cycling and snow and water sports.
Blue or purple – Deliver enhanced color perception. They compliment most skin tones and work well in foggy weather.
Amber or brown – Increase contrast and heighten visual acuity. Perfect for most sports since they improve contrast against green grass and blue skies.
Yellow, orange or gold – Improve visibility of objects, particularly in moderate- to low-light conditions. Excellent for both indoor and outdoor activities.
Another option you’ll have when buying sunglasses is whether the outside of the lenses is mirrored. Mirrored lenses have a very thin coating that reflects light. Silvered aviator sunglasses are the classic example.
Today, you have a lot more choices than just silver: blue, orange, red, green and more. And — in some cases — gradients between two or more of these colors.
Mirrored lenses, especially bold colors and gradients, are primarily a style choice — they have a huge “cool” factor, no question — but they’re practical as well. The mirroring provides additional protection by reflecting even more light away from your eyes and reducing glare more than tinted lenses alone.
Privacy is another reason they’re popular. Mirrored lenses are more opaque than standard sunglass lenses, so they can lend a little additional anonymity.
