Do You Have the Right Color Sunglass Lenses? The Benefits of Each Color (2024)

If you're spending a lot of time outside this summer, it's important for you toprotect your eyes from the sun's UV rays. But how do you choose the right pair of sunglasses? What impact does the lens color have? Do the different sunglass colors have different purposes?

Your sunglasses' lens color can affect the way sunlight filters in, and depending on the task or activity you are doing, certain tints or colors can be better than others. That's why considering sunglasses' lens color as you search for your next pair of shades will allow you to take advantage of the many benefits sunglasses can offer.

Let's discuss lens color and how different shades affect the way you see the world while protecting your eyes.

Read more: Best Prescription Glasses

Brown or amber sunglasses

Best for: Sports and activities that require heightened visual acuity, like golfing and racing.

Darker tints, like brown or amber, are common and work well for everyday use, REI reported. Brown offers a multitude of benefits that make it such a popular color. It helps protect your eyes by cutting through glare and preventing eye strain. Brown sunglass lenses also enhance warm colors and brighten your vision.

According to VSP Vision Care, the high contrast provided by these lenses ensures that objects appear more defined and sharp, even at a distance. This makes brown or amber lenses an excellent option for sports and outdoor activities that require clear vision and heightened visual acuity, such as racing and golfing.

Yellow or orange sunglasses

Best for: Gamers, pilots, hunters and winter athletes.

Yellow or orange-tinted sunglasses are perfect for moderate- to low-light conditions, per REI. They can be helpful in foggy, hazy or overcast weather because they enhance contrast and clarity. This color also makes it easier to focus your eyes on moving objects, according to VSP. Gamers, pilots, hunters and winter athletes gravitate towards this tint.

Blue or purple sunglasses

Best for: Water sports, snow activities and wet or misty conditions.

Blue or purple-tinted sunglasses help reduce glare in bright, sunny conditions and environments, per Hunting and Fishing, so they minimize discomfort caused by bright reflections. According to Frames Direct, they also improve color and contour perception. These qualities make them perfect for water sports, snow activities and wet or misty conditions.

Green sunglasses

Best for: Sunny outdoor activities like golfing, fishing and hiking.

Green-tinted sunglasses are suitable for a variety of situations. They improve color perception and contrast, reduce glare and also help brighten shadows. That makes them helpful for sunny outdoor activities like golfing, fishing and hiking but they're just as effective in low-light or partially cloudy weather.

Pink or red sunglasses

Best for: Winter sports and individuals with light sensitivity or certain eye conditions.

Pink or red-tinted lenses are ideal for depth perception, according to Hunting and Fishing. This color is also a popular choice for winter sports because it offers great contrast against white backgrounds. Additionally, these lenses can benefit individuals with light sensitivity or certain eye conditions, providing a soothing effect and easing eyestrain.

Gray sunglasses

Best for: Outdoor activities like running, cycling and beach outings, or driving.

Gray sunglasses provide a neutral color perception and reduce overall brightness without distorting colors, according to VSP. They are versatile and suitable for various situations, making them ideal for everyday wear. In bright sunlight, they minimize glare and eye fatigue and provide comfort to the eyes. They remain just as helpful in cloudy or lower-light weather. Wear them for outdoor activities like running, cycling and beach outings, or while driving.

Do You Have the Right Color Sunglass Lenses? The Benefits of Each Color (2)

Other specs for your specs

When considering sunglasses for eye protection, there's still more to consider beyond color and style. For example, lens coating, lens material and frame material. Polarized lenses reduce glare, while mirrored or flash coatings enhance visual comfort. The most critical factor is UV protection, ensuring sunglasses block harmful rays that can lead to certain eye conditions, such as cataracts or cancer. A combination of these factors, tailored to specific situations, helps determine the best sunglasses for optimal eye safety and comfort.

If you believe you may need prescription sunglasses or transition lenses, always consult your eye doctor for their professional opinion and advice.

Correction, Aug. 15: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect tip. It is not advisable to wear red or pink lenses while driving.

Do You Have the Right Color Sunglass Lenses? The Benefits of Each Color (2024)

FAQs

What color lenses are best for sunglasses? ›

Sunglasses with green lenses provide better contrast than gray lenses, transmit color accuracy better than brown lenses, and are ideal for both sunny and low-light environments. Perfect for water or field sports such as cycling or skiing, green lenses protect and comfort your eyes on foggy, cloudy, or bright days.

Does sunglass lens color matter? ›

Green reduces glare. Brown tones block blue light and increase contrast against the grass and sky. Reddish tints may be soothing and good for long car trips, while blue can help reduce glare. The most important thing to consider when buying a pair of sunglasses is whether they provide 100% protection from UV rays.

What are the benefits of colored lenses? ›

Many people choose colored lenses strictly for style purposes, but colorful lenses provide many benefits that go beyond making a fashion statement. Depending on the tint of the lenses, glasses can boost your sports performance, reduce eye fatigue, improve your depth perception, and more.

What is the best color for polarized sunglass lenses? ›

For indoor or snow sports, you might consider wearing yellow tinted sunglasses. These help to increase contrast in hazy, foggy or low-light conditions. Some people feel they help with night driving, too. For outdoor precision sports, such as golf, you might want to go for green tinted lenses in your sunnies.

What color lenses are best for light sensitivity? ›

For example, some studies have shown that a warm rose-brown lens tint can help to reduce light sensitivity in some people by blocking certain wavelengths of light that cause light sensitivity and trigger migraines.

Which lens color is most attractive? ›

Hazel is the most attractive eye colour in females

Blue and brown, the most popular for men, trended towards the bottom middle of the list, with brown eyes - the most common in the world - receiving only 13% of all matches.

How do I choose the right color lens? ›

Certain colors may look better on warmer or cooler skin tones. If you have a warm skin tone, you might want to consider contact lenses in shades of brown, honey, or hazel. If you have a cooler skin tone, we suggest you consider colors in shades of grey, green, or blue.

How do I choose the right shade of sunglasses? ›

Dark colors (brown/gray/green) are ideal for everyday use and most outdoor activities. Darker shades are intended primarily to cut through the glare and reduce eyestrain in moderate-to-bright conditions. Gray and green lenses won't distort colors, while brown lenses may cause minor distortion.

What color lenses are best for everyday use? ›

Darker tints, like brown or amber, are common and work well for everyday use, REI reported. Brown offers a multitude of benefits that make it such a popular color. It helps protect your eyes by cutting through glare and preventing eye strain. Brown sunglass lenses also enhance warm colors and brighten your vision.

What are red sunglass lenses good for? ›

Red or rose

Rose-colored lenses are the perfect pair of lenses for many sports activities like skiing and cycling. Red or rose-colored sunglasses block blue light, helping to reduce eye strain.

What is the disadvantage of color lens? ›

Failing to properly wear colored contacts can lead to an eye infection and other serious problems. Lastly, color contacts do not always give you the desired result. Using the opaque tinted lenses do the best at completely altering color, but they can blur your vision and they look less natural.

What color frames make you look younger? ›

Blue, pink, and orange – These hues tend to flatter mature skin tones. Choosing frames in blue, pink, or orange can create a youthful look. Tortoiseshell – A tortoiseshell frame in the classic rich brown and gold pattern is often considered both stylish and timeless.

Which sunglass color is best for eyes? ›

Gray or smoke-colored lenses are the most popular choices. That's not surprising, since they provide a clear image on both sunny and cloudy days, and provide great overall protection against glare.

Which sunglass lens color is best for driving? ›

While gray, brown, and amber lenses are good for daytime driving, and clear lenses are best for nighttime driving, there are some lens colors that you should avoid wearing while driving at any time. Shades of blue, green, and pink all impact how much light reaches your eyes.

Which lens color looks best? ›

Certain colors may look better on warmer or cooler skin tones. If you have a warm skin tone, you might want to consider contact lenses in shades of brown, honey, or hazel. If you have a cooler skin tone, we suggest you consider colors in shades of grey, green, or blue.

What color lens is best for bright days? ›

Brown. Similar to green lenses, a brown lens color blocks harmful light and naturally increases contrast. This makes sunglasses with a brown color lens a great choice for a bright day outdoors, specifically for mountain-based activities and shallow water fishing.

What color frame is best for sunglasses? ›

Your skin tone will determine the frame color that suits you best. Frames with orange, gold, pink and blue colors are usually the best for warm skin tones because of their conspicuous nature. When you have a cooler skin tone, black and grey should be your main options as they provide a contrasting look.

Which is better blue coating or green coating lenses? ›

Compared to green film lenses, blue film lenses cannot filter harmful strong light and have relatively low UV protection performance. Unlike green film lenses, they can prevent 100% UV, infrared, and various harmful glare from damaging the eyes and causing relatively little damage to the eyes.

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