Sunglasses aren’t just a style choice. The right lenses protect your eyes properly while suiting how and where you actually wear them. Alongside numerous shapes and styles, sunglasses come with a variety of lens options, from tinted and mirrored coatings to polarised and photochromic lenses. This guide covers everything you need to know to choose the right lenses for your eyes and lifestyle.
Getting Maximum UV Protection
More time outdoors means more UV exposure, so look for these features when choosing sunglasses:
- UVA and UVB protection
- A UV400 label, which confirms 100% protection against both UVA and UVB rays
- A CE Mark, showing the sunglasses confirm to British Standards Institution (BSI) and EU safety standards
Darker lenses don’t necessarily block more UV rays. Always check the label rather than judging by tint alone, and remember that UV rays penetrate thin cloud, so sunglasses are worth wearing beyond just bright, sunny days. For the technical detail on how UV coatings work at a lens level, our lens coating guide covers this in full. For a deeper dive into UV400 specifically, see our guide on whether you need UV400 protection, or our seasonal tips on protecting your eyes from UV rays this summer.
Visible Light Transmission (VLT)
Depending on your needs, look out for the VLT (Visible Light Transmission) percentage on your next pair of sunglasses. The higher the percentage, the more light that passes through the lens to your eyes.
• 0-19% VLT: Best for bright, sunny conditions
• 20-40% VLT: For all purpose use
• 40+% VLT: Good for overcast and low-light conditions
• 80-90% VLT: Used for very dim and night conditions
Oversized or wraparound lenses will protect a larger area of your face, regardless of VLT.
The Different Types of Sunglasses Lenses
When choosing which sunglasses lenses are right for you, ask yourself the following:
- How often will you be wearing your sunglasses?
- Do you want to block blinding, reflective glare?
- Where will you be wearing your sunglasses?
- What activities will you be doing whilst wearing sunglasses?
- Do you want a bespoke tint, gradient, or lens feature?
- What’s your budget?
Gradient Lenses
Traditional frame tints consist of a single block colour, but gradient sunglasses lenses have two tones, with a darker tint at the top of the lens that fades to a lighter tint at the bottom. This makes them ideal for driving and general use, shielded from sunlight above, with a clear view of objects closer to you.
Mirrored Lenses
Mirrored lenses have a thin, reflective film applied to the lenses that reflects light and glare away from your eyes. Because of this, mirrored sunglasses are popular for those participating in outdoor activities such as skiing, water skiing, and running, as they minimise light disturbance and offer a better viewing experience.
Polarised Lenses
The specialised coating on polarised sunglasses lenses blocks glare from reflective surfaces such as water and wet roads. These are great for any lifestyle and can be fitted to any shape, size, tint, gradient, prescription, or brand of sunglasses. Our polarised vs non-polarised guide covers the pros, cons, and who benefits most in full detail. For more on how polarised lenses work day-to-day, our guide to everything you need to know about polarised sunglasses covers this in full.
Photochromic Lenses
Photochromic lenses, also known as transition lenses, adapt automatically to the amount of light available, darkening outdoors and clearing indoors. They’re a popular alternative to a dedicated pair of prescription glasses. Our prescription sunglasses guide compares photochromic lenses against fixed-tint prescription sunglasses in detail, including cost and which suit different lifestyles.
Lens Colours
While certain tints are recommended for particular activities, lens colour is mostly a personal preference and doesn’t affect how well the sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays.
• Grey: The most neutral tint. It affects your colour vision the least. Great for most activities.
• Green: Provides contrast and helps reduce glare and eye strain. Ideal for golf, tennis and everyday use.
• Red or Rose: Block blue light so they improve driving visibility while reducing eye strain. They enhance detail and increase depth of field.
• Blue or Purple: Deliver enhanced colour perception. They complement most skin tones and work well in foggy weather.
• Amber or Brown: Increase contrast and heighten visual acuity. Perfect for most sports since they improve contrast against green grass and blue skies.
• Yellow, Orange, or Gold: Improve the visibility or objects, especially in moderate to low light conditions. Excellent for both indoor and outdoor activities.
Keep Them Clean, Keep Them Safe
Store your sunglasses in a protective hardshell case when not in use to significantly reduce the risk of damage. For a full cleaning routine and more tips on making your sunglasses last, see our guide to caring for your sunglasses.
Before buying new sunglasses, we recommend you book an eye test with your local D.I. Blow Opticians. You might be considering non-prescription sunglasses, but even if you can pass a driving vision screening without glasses, you might see significantly better with prescription sunglasses. Only a comprehensive eye exam will tell you for sure.
FAQs
What Does UV400 Mean on Sunglasses?
UV400 means the lenses block 100% of the UVA and UVB rays with wavelengths up to 400 nanometres – effectively all the UV radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface. Always check for this label regardless of how dark the lenses look, since tint and UV protection aren’t the same thing.
What’s the Best Lens Tint for Sunglasses?
It depends on your main use. Grey is the most neutral all-rounder; amber/brown is popular for sports thanks to better contrast; and yellow or orange lenses improve visibility in low light. None of these tint colours affects UV protection, which comes from the coating, not the colour.
What Is VLT and Why Does it Matter?
VLT (Visible Light Transmission) measures how much light passes through your lenses. A lower percentage suits bright, sunny conditions; a higher percentage suits overcast days or low light. Choosing the right VLT for how you’ll actually use the sunglasses matters as much as tint colour.
Do Darker Sunglasses Lenses Give Better UV
No, tint darkness and UV protection are separate things. A pale lens with a UV400 rating protects your eyes fully; a very dark lens without one may not. Always check the label.
