AthleticOptics Tip: Choosing a Lens Color

Your vision can be enhanced through the use of specific lens colors. The ultimate goal of sports eyewear is to achieve optimum perception with minimal eye strain. Since lens colors affect what we see, this can be achieved by using lens colors appropriate to the sports environment. Following is a brief description of various lens colors and their benefits.

Brown or Amber: This is the premier lens color on the market today for sports with high glare, such as skiing, boating, and fishing. Allows excellent contrast and it’s dark color minimizes eye strain. Amber or brown is effective for absorbing most “blue light” waves which sharpens visual acuity, improving depth perception and contrast in variable light conditions. Amber is popular for skiing, driving and general use. On the down side, amber will distort colors, making greens greener and causing neons to fade.
Gray: This is a neutral color that allows true perception, natural contrast, and the least amount of color distortion of any lens color. It is therefore a good, general-purpose color. Though gray does not enhance contrast, it is ideal for golfing, water sports, marine activities, driving, flying and beachwear.
Green: A good all-purpose lens color, green provides a fair amount of contrast in low light conditions and reduces eye strain in bright conditions.
Yellow: A long time standard in ski and shooting sports, yellow provides excellent depth perception and contrast in low light.
Vermillon or Rose: This is a general purpose tint that heightens visual acuity and enhances color. Rose, like amber, is effective in filtering scattered blue light and improving contrast. It delivers the brightest field of vision and is therefore applicable for skiing, fishing and all flat light conditions. This color provides excellent perception in low light conditions while allowing a tolerable level of light transmission in bright sunlight. Many people consider rose most soothing and comfortable over a longer period of time.