What makes a good pair of Sunglasses?

Different colors of sun lenses will do different things. Before you go out and pick a sunglass arm yourself with a little information. This guide will help you to clearly see the multitude of options that are out there. We will start out with the general purpose sunglasses. These are grey and green.

Grey lens
Grey lenses absorbs up to 85% of visible light without altering colors so they seem the most natural. These lenses are the most popular lens color on the market today and will serve most situations very well.

Green lens (G-15)
Commonly found in Ray Ban sunglasses absorbs up to 70% of visible light without altering colors. This is the one color that offers the greatest accuracy in color perception (the transmission curve is most similar to the human eye). Colors appear as they really are but darker.

Special purpose Sunglasses
Brown is effective for filtering scattered blue light. This lens will improve contrast as well as depth perception. This lens provides good color perception and good contrast for sharper details. This lens is good for driving, skiing boating and general use.

Rose lens
Rose lenses are like brown, the lens will filter scattered blue light and improve contrast (similar to a “haze” filter on a camera). Many people consider rose the most comfortable over a long period of time.

Yellow lens
Yellow lenses increase depth perception and make a great choice for overcast skies, haze or night time use. The only absorb 10-20% of visible light so they do not make a good sunglass for bright environments. Uses for this lens is skiing, shooting, and other activities that pinpoint vision is required. These lenses need other coatings to complement them because the yellow will not filter out infrared light by itself.

There are many variations of these colors sold on the market place today as well as polarized, anti-reflective, photochromic lenses that can enhance the quality of your vision even more. The most important ingredient to your sunglasses is that it blocks UVA and UVB light. This is part of the blue light spectrum that damages your eyes. Make sure that it is in every pair of sunglasses and any eyewear for that matter, without it you are not seeing better you are just damaging your eyes.

To test optical quality, put on the sunglasses then look at a vertical edge or line (e.g., door frame or floor tiles). Move your head back and forth, sweeping your eyes across the lens. If you notice any wiggle in the line, an optical defect in the lens may distort your vision.

Sincerely,

Douglas B Wohl
President
Wohl Optics
dbwohl@wohloptics.com