Eyewear shades

Last Friday a customer called in asking what the purpose is for the different shades and colors on safety glasses and sunglasses. That’s a good question. We polled a few of our eyewear suppliers and found these answers:

Amber or yellow –Enhances contrast in good light (as most shooters are aware)
Gray/Smoke/Espresso – Best for outdoor work in sunlight
Vermillion/purple/red – Enhances contrast, especially from fluorescent or halogen lighting
Cobalt/blue – Provides infrared protection so they’re good for metal or glass-blowing furnaces. They also help in sports by intensifying yellows and softening other colors
Indoor/Outdoor – These are mostly clear, with a slight gray tint. Best for jobs where you’re going back and forth between indoors and out.

Hope this helps!