Sunglasses guide
Which tint, and when
Grey or brown, polarised or not, gradient or solid, mirror, light-adaptive: every choice explained in a line, with real prices, so you can pick in a minute.
- Every sun lens has
- UV400 protection, light or dark
- Anti-scratch hard coat
- Anti-reflective on the back surface
- Your prescription, if you want it
Which tint for what
Start with what you will do in them. The colour comes last.
| You want them for | Pick | Why | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving | Polarised grey or brown | Cuts the flat glare off the road and the dashboard. Grey keeps colours true, brown adds contrast on dull days. | Details |
| Water, beach, snow | Polarised grey, or a mirror over polarised | Reflected glare from water and snow is horizontal, which is exactly what a polarising film blocks. | Details |
| Everyday | Classic grey or amber at the medium depth | Dark enough for a bright day, light enough to keep on in the shade. | Details |
| Screens outdoors, reading | Gradient | Dark at the top where the sky is, clearer at the bottom so you can read a phone or a map. | Details |
| Fashion, indoors and out | Fashion tints | Light, wearable colour that is not a full sun tint. Not for bright sun. | Details |
| In and out all day | Light-adaptive, +£45 | Clear indoors, dark outdoors. One pair instead of two. | Details |
The three choices
Polarised or not
Polarised
+£30
- Blocks reflected glare from water, roads and glass
- Best for: Best for driving, cycling and the water
- Trade-off: Some phone and car screens look dark or patchy through it
Classic tint
+£10
- Dims all light evenly, glare included
- Best for: Fine for walking around and everyday wear
- Trade-off: Screens look normal
Gradient or solid
Gradient
+£15
- Darker at the top, clearer below
- Best for: Reading, driving with a bright sky, a lighter look
- Trade-off: Less protection looking down into bright water
Solid
+£10
- The same depth across the lens
- Best for: Bright sun, sport, full coverage
- Trade-off: Harder to read a phone in the shade
Light-adaptive or permanent
Light-adaptive
+£45
- Clear indoors, darkens outdoors
- Best for: One pair for the whole day
- Trade-off: Stays mostly clear behind a windscreen unless you pick extra dark
Permanent tint
+£10
- Always dark
- Best for: Proper sunglasses, driving, the beach
- Trade-off: A second pair to carry
Every tint we make
Prices are for a glasses frame. On the sun frames the included classic tint comes off the price.
Classic
+£10
The timeless solid tints at three depths.
- Dark grey
- Dark amber
- Dark green
- Grey
- Amber
- Green
- Light grey
- Light amber
- Light green
Gradient
+£15
Darker at the top where the sky is, clearer below for reading.
- Smoke
- Rose
- Golden amber
- Sage
- Dusk blue
- Violet
- Peach
Mirror
+£20
A reflective outer coat over a dark grey base. Nobody sees your eyes.
- Gold
- Silver
- Sky blue
- Flame
- Emerald
- Indigo
- Violet
- Pink
Fashion
+£10
Light, wearable colour for indoors and out. Not a full sun tint.
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Sky
- Fuchsia
- Blush
Polarised
+£30
A polarising film kills the glare bouncing off water, windscreens and wet roads.
- Grey
- Brown
- G15 green
- Grey gradient
- Brown gradient
Polarised mirror
+£40
Polarised base with a mirror coat on top.
- Silver
- Blue
- Gold
- Red
UV400
Protection is not about darkness
UV400 means the lens blocks ultraviolet light up to 400 nanometres, both UVA and UVB. It is a filter in the lens material, not the tint, so a light fashion tint and a dark polarised lens protect your eyes equally. Pick the depth for comfort and the colour for taste.
Prescription sunglasses
Any frame, any tint, your numbers
Every frame can be made with your prescription and a sun tint: single vision, progressives, bifocals or readers. Stronger prescriptions can use the thinner lens indexes too. Choose Select lenses on a frame page and pick a sun tint in the lens step.
Shop prescription sunglassesSun frames
Sunglasses questions
More in the help centre.