Sunglass Lens Tints

There is a wide range of sunglass and goggle lens tints, and an equally confusing array of different names, ranging from Smith's Ignitor Mirror to Bolle's Competivision Gun. Essentially, however, the following broad categories cover most lens tints:

	Grey/Smoke Ideal for bright light conditions as it maintains the fidelity of colours.
	Brown/Bronze Inherently soothing, so suitable for bright or medium light over a long period.
	Red/Vermillion/Rose Ideal in moderate and poor light as it increases contrast.
	Yellow Perfect for very flat light conditions, especially fog as it enhances contrast by elminating blue light.
	Orange Perfect for overcast/low light conditions, as it enhances contrast and depth perception. A hybrid between yellow and vermillion.
	Polarised Usually grey or brown - eradicates glare caused by reflected light-rays. Therefore, they are particularly useful around water and when driving
	Photochromic Also known as Transitions or Reactolite - light-adjusting lenses that darken when exposed to UV. Therefore they are very flexible for changeable light-conditions.
	Cat. 4 Category 4 lenses are very dark (3-8% light transmission), so are only suitable for use in incredibly bright conditions, such as high-altitude use.

This is not to detract from the many lens colour configurations, as they all have a particular purpose, but as a rule they are combinations of the above colours and fall somewhere along the continuum between these shades. For example a sandstone tint is soothing over prolonged use in sunlight, but also offers contrast enhancement in more overcast conditions.

Sport specific

When browsing through our shopping pages by sport, you will see that we have identified some lenses that our experience and expertise tell us are ideal for use with particular sports. Furthermore, there are some tints that have been designed specifically with a particular sport in mind.

	Tennis The teal Competivision, by Bolle, has been created to enhance fluorescent tennis balls.
	Skiing/Snowboarding Also, Bolle's vermillion Mogul Vision lens reduces the intense reflections of snow, making it perfect for skiing and snowboarding.
	Golf Oakley's G30, Rudy Project's Golf 100 and Impact X Photochromic Golf, Nike's Max Golf, Bolle's EagleVision 2 and Adidas's LST Golf series. Whilst these range from green to cinnamon through to vermillion, all have been designed specifically to differentiate the shades of green on the golf course.
	Shooting Oakley's G26 lens enhances orange targets while increasing contrast against green and blue backgrounds.

Grey/Smoke

Brown/Bronze

Red/Vermillion/Rose

Yellow

Orange

Polarised

Photochromic

Cat. 4

Sport specific

Tennis

Skiing/Snowboarding

Golf

Shooting