Clear vs yellow vs orange vs red lenses — what the spectrometer says
By Spektrum Glasses Editorial Team · Published 2026-07-20 · Updated 2026-08-10 · Facts re-checked 2026-08-10 How this page is written and checked: our editorial method · how we verify claims Most “which lens colour?” advice is opinion. This page is the measured version: every figure below comes from the laboratory reports hosted in full on our lab results page.How to read this
- The trade-off is one line: the more of the blue (and green) band a lens filters, the more it tints what you see. There is no clear lens that filters the whole blue band — a claim like that should come with a spectral report, and ours is linked above.
- Clear filters hardest at the short, high-energy end (99.99% at 400 nm) while staying near-clear, which is why it is the all-day lens.
- Yellow filters over 98% of the whole blue band and is the first visibly tinted step.
- Orange takes the blue band to 99.96% measured and also cuts most green light below about 540 nm.
- Red extends the cut through 560 nm. Research on circadian photoreception centres on wavelengths around 480 nm, with sensitivity extending into green — the red lens is built for exactly that band.
- None of the tinted lenses are for driving. The same tint that filters blue and green light fails the traffic-signal colour-recognition requirements sunglasses standards set — the test reports grade yellow, orange and red not suitable for road use, and we publish that.