Now the sun is out and we’re getting set for the BBQ summer, thoughts and our order books turn to the matter of tints. We start to get lots of queries and orders for prescription sunglasses to help people with driving, sport, and sunshine holidays. So to help you make your mind up, here are some thoughts and notes on tinted lenses…
A tint is a colour which is added to your lens to cut the effects of glare. Glare on bright days can cause headaches and even crow’s feet as you screw up your eyes to help you to feel more comfortable! On its own a tint does not fully cut out UV, but if you’re in very bright conditions for long periods of time you can add a UV layer with it. Traditional methods of tinting lenses include a dye which the lens absorbs, or coloured crystals within the lens material. Tints should not wash off, but they can fade or change colour slightly over very long periods of time.
A tint can be made in any colour you want, and can be all over the lens or graduate from dark to light. You can choose any shade from dark grey to pink, and mix and match them on a lens. If a lens is dark at the top and clear at the bottom this can be useful to allow you to see down into the car, or a flattering pink tone along the bottom of a lens can warm the skin and be prettier than an all over colour. Mixed colour tints and graduated tints give a cool Seventies vibe to a frame! They have always been popular on deep shaped Aviator styles.
Tint colours are often matched to frames, but as a general rule some shades do a different job to others. Browns and pinks warm things up, grey, blue and green are more neutral for driving, or if you’re a budding landscape artist! Yellow and orange give high contrast, so they’re good for reading the green on the golf course, or shooting. If you enjoy a specific hobby, mail us for help if you think a tint will help you. We can also offer advice on what will look good with your frame.
You can vary the intensity of the tint too, but remember it is illegal to drive at night in anything but the palest tint, so always keep a clear pair of glasses with you.