Sunglasses Lens Tint Guide for Runners & Cyclists: How to Choose

Pick up a pair of sports sunglasses and the first thing you notice is the colour: smoke, gold mirror, pink, teal. It is easy to choose on looks alone and hope the lens suits your route.

The colour is only part of the story. The number on the label, the lens category, tells you far more about how the glasses will feel on a 7am run along East Coast Park versus a midday ride on an exposed road. Here is how to read it, and how to pick a lens for the way you train.

Photo: Aura Shades

Lens Categories at a Glance

Start with How Dark, Not What Colour

Sunglasses are graded under the international standard ISO 12312-1 by their luminous transmittance, the share of visible light that gets through the lens. The categories run from 0, an untinted lens, to 4, a very dark one.

• Category 3 Is the Everyday Sports Lens: It lets through 8% to 18% of light, which suits strong daylight. Almost every Aura Shades model on ATHLO+ is Category 3.
• Category 4 Is a Specialist Lens: At 3% to 8%, it is meant for extreme brightness such as deserts or snowfields, and the standard says it is not appropriate for driving at any time.
• Night Means Clear: The same standard says lenses letting through less than 75% of light should not be used for road use or driving at twilight or night.

The number on the label tells you more than the colour of the lens.

Your Eyes Are Not Everyone's Eyes

The right category also depends on you. In a 2026 study, people who were less sensitive to light were comfortable with Category 2 filters in high light, while more sensitive people needed Category 4 filters in direct sunlight. If you squint behind a lens your friend loves, try a darker one.

What Colour and Mirror Coatings Do

Within a category, the tint and coating change how the world looks rather than how much light gets through. Brands describe the effects in their own terms, so treat these as what each lens is designed to do:

• Mirrored Lenses: Aura Shades says its mirrored lenses help limit glare from water, roads and glass, and reflect excess brightness.
• Orange and Gold Mirrors: Aura describes the orange REVO mirror on its Cream of the Crop model as improving contrast and visual sharpness.
• Purple Mirrors: Aura describes The Majestic Greyhound's purple mirror as enhancing visual contrast and depth perception, with a balanced tint for variable light.

The honest answer is that colour is partly preference. Try the lens on your usual route at your usual time before you decide.

Photo: SportPlus.sg / Isis Ang

Photochromic: One Lens for Changing Light

Photochromic lenses darken as the light gets stronger and clear again in shade. For a run that starts before sunrise and finishes in full sun, that can replace two pairs.

• 67 Shades of Grey (Lumo): A photochromic lens that runs from Category 0 to 3, clear enough for indoor use and protective in full sun, according to Aura.
• Blinded by My Own Greatness (Torq): A polarised photochromic lens that runs from Category 2 to 4. At its darkest it reaches Category 4, so take it off before you drive.

Which Lens for Your Training?

Find Your Lens with Aura Shades on ATHLO+

Every Aura Shades model on ATHLO+ lists its lens category and UV400 protection on the product page. Browse the Aura Shades collection, or start with the photochromic 67 Shades of Grey if your sessions cross from dark to light.

Ready to decide on polarisation? Read Polarised vs Non-Polarised Lenses next.