When preparing for winter sport season, the absolute must-have accessory is a sturdy pair of ski goggles. Designed to protect eyes from dirt, debris, wind and harmful UV rays, goggles are designed to weather challenging climates.

Choosing the right lens tint is a vital component when selecting the perfect pair of goggles. This is when most snow activity enthusiasts need to consider their ultimate goals – do they often ride in the morning when it's warm and sunny, or do they prefer challenging terrain parks?

The ultimate goal is to purchase a pair of goggles that has a tint that offers the best combination of contrast, color definition, depth, and Visible Light Transmission (VLT), all while protecting against eye fatigue.

A low VLT of 15-percent of less will prevent eye fatigue on sunny days. In contrast, a high VLT, such as 70-percent or more, allows for better depth and color perception in low-light areas.

• Low Light – If sporting in low-light conditions, consider purchasing yellow, amber or gold lenses, which helps filter blue light. This helps to emphasize shadows, allowing for better definition of terrain changes. These colors also work well in variable and moderate light conditions. Additionally, rose copper and light rose tints work excellent in foggy or low-light conditions.
• Bright Light – In areas with saturated, bright light, dark goggle tints, such as dark brown, copper, dark green or dark gray will keep eyes comfortable, increasing surrounding contrasts. Gray lenses are especially good for allowing natural colors to be seen, with minimal true color distortion.
• Mirror – Reflecting sunlight, this type of lenses helps mirror light so it cannot penetrate the lens. This tint offers the lowest VLT radio, making it perfect for sunny, bright days.
• Nighttime and Sunset – Since clear lenses have a high VLT rating, they allow the most light to penetrate the eyes, which are excellent for low-light conditions.
• Photochromic Lenses – These automatically adjust to light conditions, becoming darker or lighter accordingly. These are often available in brown or gray tints.
• Interchangeable Lenses – This is rapidly becoming a popular trend in ski goggles, which allows lenses to be changed depending upon light conditions.

Many manufacturer websites offer information about the VLT tints on specific goggles. Lenses are the most important component when selecting snow goggles. Second is the design and comfort level, as these take a back seat to eye protection.

Olympic Eyewear offers a wide selection of wholesale sunglasses by the dozen. Offering snow goggles, X-Loop sunglasses and Biohazard sunglasses, they offer a wide selection of sport-related sunglasses.