Coatings and filters
Tint
Optical glossaryCoatings and filters
A fixed color in or on a lens. Cosmetic or comfort — a tint alone is not UV protection.
Worked example · standard optics, computed
In more depth
A tint colors a lens evenly or as a gradient, darker at the top. Gray dims all colors evenly; brown and amber raise contrast; lighter fashion tints are mostly about appearance. Sun lenses are graded into categories by how much light they let through, and the darkest category is not suitable for driving.
A tint reduces brightness, not ultraviolet. UV protection is a separate property that has to be built into the lens — which it can be at any tint, including none.
Related terms
UV400Full ultraviolet protection to 400 nanometers. Invisible: darkness and UV protection are unrelated properties.PolarizedA lens with a filter that blocks the horizontally-reflected light that reads as glare off water, roads and glass. Permanently tinted.PhotochromicA lens that darkens in ultraviolet light and clears indoors. Most photochromic lenses react poorly behind windshields, which block most UV.