There’s an adage that if celebrities and athletes adopt a trend, popular culture will follow suit. This has long been true when it comes to eyewear.
Early film star Sam Foster was the first celebrity to wear tinted eyewear. And Hollywood has been sporting trendsetting specs ever since.
If you ask them, Jersey Shore’s “Snookie” and “The Situation” might tell you they started the fad of dark tinted eyewear in clubs. However, Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt, Chris Evans, Steve Martin, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp (claims he was the first), and Corey Hart, have all been spotted pulling off tinted shades indoors or at night.
But tints aren’t just a fashion statement. Over the past two decades, colored lenses have been used to improve reading performance and comfort. When they’re not being used to block out the flash from pesky paparazzi, they also help with light sensitivity, eyestrain, headaches, blurring of print and watery eyes.
Metro Eye Milwaukee carries a number of colors, tints and can custom fit your lenses to your style. And while you may look cooler with colored lenses, each shade has a specific purpose.
Rose Tints: Used for bright fluorescent lighting. Helps reduce eyestrain, glare and headaches.
Amber Tints: Helps eliminate blue from the visible light spectrum. Also, it’s used to help reduce eyestrain from fluorescent lights.
Purple Tints: Commonly a fashion tint, but can also be the best color to maintain the perception of natural color.
Dark Amber, Brown, and Copper Tints: These tints are great for contrasting colors outdoors, like grass against the blue sky. They are best used to reduce glare in a hazy sunshine.
(Thanks to the L.A. Times, GearPatrol.com and OpticalMasters for source material.)