In online shops, you come across “yellow”, “amber”, “orange”, sometimes even “red” lenses. All these tints work on the same principle: colouring the lens to absorb part of the blue light. But they don't do the same job, and aren't worn at the same time.
The principle: the warmer the tint, the more it filters
A coloured lens absorbs the colour opposite to its own. A yellow lens holds back part of the blue; an orange lens holds back more; a red lens almost all of it. In return, the stronger the tint, the more the colours you see are altered, and the less light reaches your eye.
Yellow lenses: the compromise
A light tint, often sold for gaming or computer use. It warms up the picture without completely distorting it and slightly increases the sense of contrast. It filters less than orange. An option for late afternoon, as the light fades.
Amber lenses: for the evening
Warmer than yellow, they filter a larger share of blue. The whites on your screen turn cream, and the room takes on a sunset tone. It's the tint of SAFRAN: for evenings of series, reading on a tablet or gaming, when you want to filter more without going all the way to orange.
Orange lenses: for late evenings
They filter a large share of blue light. Colours are clearly altered, and blue turns dark. It's the most logical tint if you look at a screen late and want to test the effect of warm light on falling asleep. At SAY: DUNE (round) and BRAISE (rectangular).
What about red lenses?
They block almost all blue and part of the green: you see the world in red. Some people use them just before going to sleep. For looking at a screen they quickly become tiresome, and we don't offer them.
What you should never do with a tinted lens
- Drive at night. A tinted lens reduces the light reaching the eye and changes the colour of lights: it's not recommended, whatever the tint.
- Edit photos or videos. Colours are distorted.
- Use it as sunglasses. That's not what they're for.
Be wary of figures
“Blocks 99% of blue light” means nothing without the wavelength range that was measured. An honest figure looks like “x% between 400 and 450 nm”. We explain how to read these promises in our article on how effective blue light glasses are.
Our advice
- Daytime → no tint: a clear anti-reflective lens (MIDI, HAVANE, JADE).
- Evening → amber (SAFRAN).
- Late evening → orange (DUNE, BRAISE).
To compare clear and tinted lenses, also read our guide to choosing.
Read next: Driving at night with blue light glasses: good or bad idea?