How to choose the correct lens color for your glasses

The eyes may be the “window to the soul,” but they are also the messenger to the brain.

Most sports and shooting eyewear come in a rainbow of colors for good reasons. Don’t send the wrong message to your brain while on the water or in the field. Learn the codes of color and dress accordingly while in the outdoors.

Here’s a breakdown of colors and why you should use certain colors in certain situations:

In the field and on the range

Orange – Orange blocks blue light so it’s ideal for low light conditions, i.e., cloudy days, fog, early morning, late afternoon. Also enhances orange targets.

Yellow – Also blocks blue light. Particularly good for heavy overcast skies and night shooting under lights.

Gray– Blocks glare without changing color perception. Does not enhance target.

Dark green – Filters light so orange and red targets appear brighter, but also offer enough filtering to control squint.

Purple – Often with a hint of red, and washes out background, enhancing brightly colored objects like clay pigeons.

Light purple – Dampens greens and makes objects stands out against trees in background.

Vermillion – Sharpens contrast of brighter colored targets in low light conditions. Makes clay targets pop against a gray sky. Takes some adjustment for eyes to get used to, though.

Brown – With some red, makes it easier for shooter to see targets. Good to use on sunny to partly cloudy days. Blocks some blue light and enhances brightly colored targets. Good all-around lens for hunting and shooting.

Dark brown – Allows for high contrast on bright days. Good for open background afield, and good for snow conditions.

Conclusion: The best all-around lenses come in smoke, gray and gray-green tints. For blocking blue light, choose amber to brown, and to improve contrast, go with yellow or orange. Choose purple or vermillion tints for enhancing orange targets, especially against a background of trees.

On the water

Gray – Allows you to see things as they are because it minimizes light distortion. Good for sunny and partly cloudy days and best for deepwater fishing and open water.

Brown – Good to use on sunny to partly cloudy days. Good for fishing in shallow water because it enhances the contrasts.

Bronze – Excellent color for sight fishing. Does not change color and allows enhancement of contrast and definition.

Yellow– Often with blue blocking, and good for early morning, late afternoon, cloudy conditions and very good for fly-fishing. Increases contrast in most conditions.

Conclusion:

Yellow or brown in low light. Copper in bright conditions when you require contrast and gray in bright conditions when you don’t need contrast.

To be polarizing can be a good thing

In fishing, especially, direct light hits the water and causes glare, which prevents you from seeing anything below the water. Polarized fishing glasses remove glare, and can help reduce feelings of drowsiness or headaches caused by glare.

Polarization is the vertical positioning of iodine crystals on a thin film, sandwiched between two layers of material, that absorbs reflective light.

* I purchased the Revision Sawfly brand of shooting glasses two years ago and have not looked back. I like the fact that they are ballistically tested and listed on the U.ls. Army Authorized Protective Eyewear list! The glasses on the front page are Revision’s Hellfly ballistic sunglass series. I also purchased and wear that model! Wiley X also makes intriguing sunglasses that are polarized and exceed the ANSI Z87.1-2003 High Velocity Impact Safety & Optical Standards. ~The Gear Gal, Barb Baird