If you’re an avid hunter or target shooter, you already know that shooting glasses are an absolute necessity every time you handle a firearm, whether it’s at the shooting range or in the field. There’s no mystery surrounding why shooting glasses are a critical accessory – your eyes are precious, and you need to protect them. Yet, there can be some confusion around the many lens color options you have to choose from for your shooting eyewear.
Lens Color Matters
So does it really matter whether you want amber versus grey lenses? Oh yes, it does! Different safety glasses lens colors enhance your vision in various lighting conditions, helping you see with more clarity and depth perception. Two characteristics that every shooter needs.
Let’s break down your shooting glasses lens color options:
Yellow/Orange Lenses: Yellow and orange tinted safety glasses tend to block out “blue light,” such as the diffused haze on a cloudy day, but bring out the orange color of a practice target. These colors tend to create a more detailed line of vision, helping you to better perceive depth, and thus improve accuracy.
Amber Lenses: Amber lenses are a very popular lens color. They also block blue-light and work best in low light, cloudy days. The amber tint creates an excellent contrast between colors, helping the orange of the target stand out to you, even on those dreary days.
Purple/Blue Lenses: If you’re at a shooting range with a backdrop of beautiful trees around you, you’ll want the help of a purple or blue lens tint. These colors contribute to improving contrast, particularly against greens (trees/grass) and oranges (the target), keeping your eyes focused on the target, and only the target.
Brown Lenses: Some hunters and target shooters prefer brown lenses, as they call attention to orange colored targets. They work best in fields or other open areas, and particularly in bright sunlight. Many hunters find brown lenses are “soothing” and reduce eye strain, which helps keep them alert.
Grey Lenses: Grey is the “all around” color. Grey lenses reduce the amount of light around you, allowing you to see a balanced tone of color. It’s ideal for bright conditions and helps you get a level sense of contrast and depth.
Lens colors can have a direct impact on a hunters vision. Choosing the correct lens tint for your environment and light conditions can improve your accuracy.
To Each His Own
Which shooting safety glasses lens color is perfect for you, and why? Every shooter has their preferred color they feel most comfortable with and would recommend.
Start taking notice of the different lighting and landscape conditions around where you shoot and match these characteristics up to the lens color that would be just right for you.