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How to Choose the Best Sunglass Color
• Golf – dark amber, brown and copper, green, gray
Today, the average American spends more time than ever pursuing outdoor sporting and leisure activities. Just as one shoe is not suited to all activities, neither is every sunglass. There are several different color combinations and densities for the eye care professional to choose from. Some of the most common colors as well as the outdoor activities that they are best suited for are:
• Winter sports – low light conditions: yellow/orange; normal lighting conditions: dark amber, brown and copper, gray
Yellow and Orange: These colors heighten contrast between objects and blue or green backgrounds. Sometimes marketed as “blue blockers”, yellow and orange tints are good for hazy, foggy or overcast conditions because they eliminate blue wavelengths of light. Not an appropriate color for an activity that depends on accurate color perception, it is an excellent choice for low light and indoor activities. A word of caution, yellow and orange can cause discomfort to the eyes when used in extremely bright light conditions. Rose and Red: Although these colors heighten contrast in partly cloudy and sunny conditions, they may cause significant color imbalances. The main benefit to these colors is that they allow the patients’ eyes to adjust quickly between alternating light conditions. Purple: Commonly used as a fashion tint, dark purple can shade the eye while maintaining natural color perception. Dark Amber, Brown, and Copper: These colors help reduce glare and perform best in hazy sunshine. They are especially advantageous in improving contrast on grass and against blue skies; as well as activities where glare and depth perception can be a deciding factor. Green: A mild, contrast enhancing tint, green is generally used to reduce eyestrain under bright lighting conditions. A soothing tint, it offers the best contrast and visual acuity of all tints due to the fact that it allows all of the colors of the spectrum to pass through the lens with the same percentages that pass through the human eye. This means that there is complete color accuracy when viewing objects through a dark green lens.
• Baseball – dark amber, brown and copper, green, gray Upgrading to Polarized Tints, although an effective option in sports eyewear, are not as efficient as polarized lenses. Tinting only makes the lens darker, thereby blocking the amount of usable light entering the eye while allowing glare to continue to exist. Polarization on the other hand, acts as a filter. Polarization is a film that is inside the lens and acts like a Venetian blind, blocking reflected light that causes harmful glare. As a result, colors can be used in a wider range of outdoor activities with greater efficiency. Dark Gray – 25% light transmission; truest color recognition and is ideal for bright sunny days and high glare activities such as deep water fishing and driving. Light Gray – 55% light transmission; ideal for being used with tints to create a custom colored polarized lens. Dark Brown – 25% light transmission; its blue blocker properties are ideal for improved contrast, visual acuity and depth perception, and is useful in activities such as driving and shallow water fishing. Light Brown – 45% light transmission; ideal for being used with tints to create a custom colored polarized lens. Melanin – 25% light transmission; a relatively new lens to the market, it contains the pigment that normally occurs in the body and is ideal for anyone with macular degeneration and works well in bright conditions and activities in which the light varies such as golfing. Red – 55% light transmission; a high contrast lens that is ideal for low light fishing and as a shooting lens in bright light.
Common athletic activities that work well with tinted lenses and the best colors for them are:
Orange – 50% light transmission; blocks blue light, increases contrast and is most commonly used for clay target shooting, biking, and skiing.
• Hunting/Shooting – yellow/orange, rose/red, and dark amber, brown and copper, purple
Green – 60% light transmission; true color balanced lens that works well in varying light conditions such as golf and tennis.
• Cycling – yellow/orange, rose/red, dark amber, brown, and copper, gray • Fishing/water sports – Gray, rose/red, dark amber, brown and copper
Violet – 55% light transmission; increases contrast and darkens certain backgrounds so it works well with shooting in average to bright, golfing and for winter sports. Continued on page 18
NOVEMBER 2010 | EYECAREPROFESSIONAL | 17