Tinted glasses were a big trend in the 90s and they’re back in 2017 with a vengeance, with way more colours, styles and brands than ever to choose from. They may not be for everyone, but it’s worth looking into them because as well as looking very on trend, there may even be some additional health benefits to wearing them!

So, what’s out there? And which skin tones go better with which tints? And what are these alleged health benefits, or is it just the fashion industry trying to add an extra dimension to encourage us to buy?

Skin tone matters

With so many different tints to choose from, picking the right one for you is a bit of a minefield. In Europe, the most popular summer colours were pastels, from pastel pink to pastel blue. In the 90s, yellow tints were particularly popular, but this has been replaced in 2017 by amber, a far subtler and flattering choice to wear, as yellow went with few (if any) skin tones really!

Looking at the 2017 colour trends, if you or your customers have pale to light skin it’s best to avoid amber because it will wash you out even more, so pick a darker tint. Instead of pastel pink, go for a normal pink, for example, because pastel colours tend to have a lighter appearance, which can make you look paler. Good colours to try are red, minty green and light purple.

If you have an olive or darker skin tone, you are in luck, because you can pretty much wear any colour you wish. Pastel colours look particularly good on darker skin tones, even creating the illusion that your skin is looking even more tanned than it actually is. For wearers with darker skin, to really pull this trend off, wear the lightest colour you can. Try out sky blue, pale lilac and pastel green. 

Are there health benefits?

Surprisingly for a fashion item, researching tinted glasses with some help from an Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) colleague, threw up some interesting findings about potential health benefits, such as wearing certain colours can reduce eye fatigue and, in low light conditions, some colours help us see our surroundings better, with everything appearing brighter.

Kevin Gutsell, ABDO board member says, “Copper, orange, yellow/amber and brown/bronze lens tints will make your environment seem brighter. They are often used in low-light conditions.”

These lens colours help block blue light, while enhancing contrast, he says. “This can help in overcast, hazy and foggy conditions. Blue light scatters more easily than other colours, due to its short wavelength (making) focusing more difficult. Filtering out blue light with one of these tints will improve sharpness and depth perception. People can find it reduces fatigue.”

With some tint colours, there is the risk of colour distortion, though this is least with brown tints, making it a popular choice. Sportspeople find copper, orange, yellow/amber and brown/bronze tints beneficial, says Gutsell, while those who use computers a lot, can also find yellow or amber tints helpful because they reduce eye fatigue and strain by blocking blue light.

Tint, positives and negatives

As a general rule, wearing tinted glasses causes no short-term or long-term damage to our eyes, even if you wear stronger colours such as blue, red or green, however they do distort colours and so are not recommended for driving.

Talk to any expert, however, and they will tell you it’s important to remember tinted lenses have not been designed to replace sunglasses, even though they do come with UV protection. They are more about making a fashion statement, than anything else.

Glasses with tinted lenses are a great way though, to refresh any summer wardrobe, with many clothing fashion brands embracing the tinted glasses-look for 2017. In fact, there are so many brands in the market to choose from today, tinted-lens consumers are literally spoilt for choice. 

My personal favourite is the tinted range by Cutler & Gross, so many stunning colours to choose from. For a more affordable range, give For Art’s Sake a try.  They are a relatively new brand with fresh ideas along with good quality frames and great styles to match.

Go on, embrace your inner bohemian and get tinted!

British-based eyewear blogger Siu-Yin Shing founded her blog www.myglassesandme.co.uk six years ago to cover eyewear, fashion and anything in between that concerns specs wearers. She also writes for one of the largest B2B optical groups, The Eyewear Forum, and is the proud owner of more than 25 pairs of glasses.