Gradient glasses come in two forms: sunglasses with gradient lenses that are dark at the top and lighter at the bottom, and gradient glasses frames whose colour fades smoothly into another shade. Here you will find out when gradient lenses are useful in everyday life, when an evenly tinted lens is the better choice and how to pick a gradient frame that suits you.
Key points at a glance
- Gradient lenses are darker at the top and lighter at the bottom: sun and bright sky are toned down, while you see your dashboard, book or phone clearly through the lighter part.
- On the water, in snow and in the mountains, a lot of light comes from below. There, an evenly tinted lens is the better choice, ideally polarised near water.
- Gradient tints are also available for prescription lenses.
- Gradient frames look especially harmonious when the dark top edge follows your eyebrows and the frame becomes lighter towards the bottom.
Gradient glasses frames or gradient lenses?
When people talk about gradient glasses, they usually mean one of two things:
- Gradient lenses: The tint of the lens fades from top to bottom. This is typical of sunglasses, but it is also possible with prescription lenses.
- Gradient frames: The frame itself changes colour, for example from dark brown to honey or from black to clear. The lenses can be clear or tinted.
Gradient sunglasses: dark at the top, light at the bottom
With a gradient lens, the top section is the darkest. Towards the middle and the bottom, the tint gets lighter or fades out completely. Grey and brown gradients are the classics. There are also fashion colours such as pink, blue or green, and two-colour gradients in which one shade blends into another. Some models combine a gradient lens with a mirror coating or polarisation.
What gradient lenses are good for
- Driving: The dark upper part tones down the sun and bright sky. Through the lighter lower part, you can see the dashboard and sat nav clearly.
- Reading and your phone: When you look down, you look through the light area. Books, menus and screens stay easy to read.
- Town, cafés and the in-between seasons: When the light keeps changing, a gradient lens is often more comfortable than a fully dark one.
- Style: Because your eyes can be seen through the lighter part, gradient sunglasses look more open.
When gradient sunglasses are not the right choice
A gradient lens mainly reduces light from above. When a lot of light comes from below, the lighter part is a disadvantage:
- By and on the water: The surface of the water reflects the sun. An evenly tinted lens works better here, ideally polarised, as polarised lenses reduce glare from reflections. Find out more in Best Polarised Sunglasses for Fishing & Watersports.
- In snow: Snow reflects a great deal of light. For winter walks, choose an evenly tinted lens, and for skiing, ski goggles.
- In the mountains and on the beach: The light is especially bright here. Filter category 3 with an even tint is usually recommended.
Gradient, solid, polarised or photochromic? Lens types compared
| Lens | Good for | Less suitable |
|---|---|---|
| Gradient | driving, town, reading outdoors, spring and autumn | water, snow, high mountains |
| Evenly tinted | summer, beach, holidays, mountains | indoors, dusk |
| Polarised | water, fishing, wet roads | screens can look dark at certain angles |
| Photochromic | one pair for indoors and outdoors | barely darkens behind a windscreen |
Gradient prescription lenses
Gradient tints are not limited to ready-made sunglasses. If you have sunglasses made up with your prescription, you can choose a gradient as well as the colour and tint strength. That way, you get gradient lenses matched exactly to your prescription. How it works and which frames are suitable is explained in our guide Prescription Lenses for Sunglasses.
Varifocals with a gradient tint
With varifocal lenses, the reading area is at the bottom. A tint that gets lighter towards the bottom suits this well: tinted at the top for distance, lighter at the bottom for reading. Whether a gradient is possible for your lenses depends on the lens and the frame. If in doubt, ask our customer service before you order.
Everyday eyeglasses with a light gradient tint
A light gradient tint in grey, brown or pink turns your everyday eyeglasses into a fashion accessory without making them look like sunglasses. Tinted lenses are not suitable for driving at dusk or at night, though.
Gradient frame glasses: how a colour-fade frame looks
The frame can have a gradient, too. On gradient eyeglass frames, the colour shifts from top to bottom or from the inside out into another shade. It looks particularly harmonious when the top edge is dark and follows the line of your eyebrows, while the lower part gets lighter and comes closer to your skin tone.
If you have ombré or balayage hair, a gradient frame picks up the soft transition in your hair. If you prefer more contrast, choose a gradient between very different colours, such as black to blue. Even bolder are two-tone frames with a sharp line between two colours, often paired with temples in a third colour such as gold.
Gradient frames for women and men
For women, cat-eye and panto shapes with a gradient are popular, for example from tortoiseshell to honey, from burgundy to pink or from black to clear. Men’s frames more often feature subtle gradients such as navy to grey or brown to clear. There is no fixed rule: what matters is that the colours suit your skin tone and hair colour.
Light frames with dark hair?
This can look great. A light or clear frame creates a fresh contrast with dark hair. If a very light frame feels too pale, a gradient is a good compromise: the darker top edge echoes your hair and eyebrows, while the lighter lower part keeps the look airy. Which frame colours suit your type is explained in Colourful Glasses Frames: Which Colour Suits You?
What to look for when buying gradient sunglasses
- How you will use them: For everyday wear, driving and town, a gradient lens works well. For the beach, water and mountains, an evenly tinted lens is the better choice.
- Lens colour: Grey changes colours the least, brown looks warm and makes contrasts appear stronger, and fashion colours are mainly a question of style.
- Filter category: For a typical British summer’s day, category 2 is usually enough. Category 4 sunglasses are not suitable for driving.
- UV400 and CE or UKCA: How dark a lens is says nothing about its UV filter. Look for UV400 and a CE or UKCA mark.
- Frame: Large lenses show off a gradient particularly well. If you need a prescription, check first whether the frame is suitable.
Classics available with gradient lenses include the Ray-Ban Cats 5000 and the Ray-Ban Justin. You can see which lens colours are currently in stock on each product page.
Miu Miu MU A51S 5AK20P£247.99Oakley EYEJACKET REDUX (OO9438 943805)£118.19 PMiu Miu MU B07S 16K04O£200.68Prada PR 65ZS ZVN09T£150.51Ray-Ban BILL (RB2198 129251)£95.89Prada PR B15S 17N70R£193.99Prada PR 15WS 01R0A6£144.44Ray-Ban CATS 5000 (RB4125 710/51)£95.89FAQs about gradient glasses
What are glasses that are dark at the top and light at the bottom called?
They are called gradient lenses or gradient tints. This always means a lens whose tint fades from top to bottom.
Is a gradient tint the same as photochromic lenses?
No. A gradient lens has a fixed tint: darker at the top, lighter at the bottom. Photochromic lenses change their tint with UV light and are evenly tinted.
