What is VLT and How Does It Matter?

 

Introduction

So, I see you’re taking charge of finding the perfect sports eyewear from start to finish this time. You start all fired up, but eventually find yourself overwhelmed by endless web pages and buried in technical jargon. Sounds familiar?

Believe me, you're not alone. Terms like “VLT in goggles” can make choosing the right pair feel like decoding something very technical when it doesn’t have to be. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered—here’s VLT, simplified.

Let’s unpack and simplify this concept, so you don’t just understand what VLT is in sunglasses but also know how to use this knowledge to pick the perfect pair for all your adventures.

 

What is VLT?

Image Credit: Safetyware Group

Beginning with the basics, what is VLT? Firstly, VLT stands for Visible Light Transmission. Now, stop before you go off to type ‘visible light transmission meaning’ on any search engine. You will see a bunch of numbers and technical information pop up, which will add to the confusion. Let’s break it down in an easier manner.

Visible Light Transmission or VLT can be understood as the amount of light that passes through the lenses of your glasses and ultimately reaches your eyes.

So, the number that you see in the description of any glasses is the percentage of light that the lens allows to pass through. By that logic, the higher the VLT, the more the light that enters your eyes while the lower the VLT, the less the total light that will go into your eyes.

 

How Does It Matter in Sunglasses?

If you think about it, by controlling the net light that enters your eyes, VLT can act as an effective customization tool for your eyewear. You can think of it as a volume knob for sunlight. You can crank it up with a higher VLT pair to make sure that sufficient light gets in, making it an excellent choice for cloudy days or any overcast conditions for that matter.

Similarly, you can turn it down with lower VLT sunglasses and block more light, reduce glare, and enjoy comfortable vision, even on the brightest, sunniest days.

Then comes the next logical question: what is VLT tint? Very naturally, there is an inherent connection between VLT and the tint of your lenses. In layman's terms, lower VLTs have darker tints so that less light comes through, thus reducing brightness. Higher VLTs have lighter tints to allow more light to pass through the lens for lower light conditions.

 

So, Which is Better—High or Low VLT?

Now, the ultimate question is whether to choose higher or lower VLT goggles. The optimal choice is not definitive but variable, depending on your specific needs and the lighting conditions you expect to encounter most often. Let’s review each group individually.

Firstly, high VLT glasses are “near clear”, perfect for low-light environments like early mornings, late afternoons, or overcast days. Likewise, they are not suitable for bright conditions because they will let too much light into your eyes which can cause strain and eye fatigue.

On the flip side, low VLT glasses are what one would consider to be most sunglasses. They are ideal for bright, sunny days, blocking out as much light as possible, thus reducing glare and putting less stress on your eyes. As we all can relate to, if you wear sunglasses at night or indoors, it will make it more difficult to see.

 

The VLT Spectrum

The range of VLT in sunglasses that are on the market is quite impressive, so you can find a pair that fits your needs exactly. However, understanding the range can be a bit difficult, especially if understanding lenses and prescriptions is new to you. If you are new to prescriptions and lenses, there’s no doubt that numbers probably confuse you.

Having covered what VLT is in detail, it is pretty simple to decode the VLT spectrum and what those numbers mean. When you look at VLT percentages in product descriptions, you'll see five categories from 4 to 0. The number is an indication of how dark the lens is, with 4 being the darkest and 0 being the lightest.

For the numbers themselves, here’s a quick and super-simplified guide to the different VLT categories based on their percentages:

Cloudy Setting:

• More than 80% VLT: Very Light tint for overcast, foggy days, or nights.
• Between 43% - 80%: Lightly tinted for dull overcast or foggy weather.

Variable Setting:

• Between 18% - 43%: Medium tint, middle ground for versatile and diverse weather conditions.

Bright Setting:

• Between 8% - 18%: Dark tint for bright, sunny days.
• 0% - 8%: Very dark tint, best suited for extremely bright light for high altitudes, but not suitable for driving.

 

Photochromic Lenses - The Aces of VLT

Image Credit: COC Eyewear

Why choose between high or low VLTs when you can have the best of both worlds in one high-performing VLT goggles?

Photochromic lenses can adjust their VLT on their own. It is exactly how it sounds. They get darker when exposed to bright light, reducing the amount of light entering your eyes, and automatically lighten up in dim conditions to let in all the possible light to improve clarity.

Although this option might seem perfect, there are a few things you need to consider. Photochromic lenses typically change using UV. UV is in higher concentration in high altitudes so may get too dark on a cloudy day in a high altitude situation. They also change better in colder conditions. Thus, on a bright and warm day, they may not get as dark as you want them to be. Likewise, since they require UV to activate, they will not change behind a windshield while driving a car.

So, if you don’t need extreme adjustments or stress over calculating the VLT for each day’s weather, just one pair will do the job.

 

Flat Light? Not Anymore!

With your newfound understanding of what is VLT, you’re all set to choose the right sunglasses for any condition. Be it for any time of the day or any month of the year, you can find a pair that works best for you with confidence. And if you don’t want to think about it too much, just take our word for it and go for those photochromic lenses—they’ve got you covered in almost all conditions.

Level up your eyewear and do not settle for anything less than constant high-definition vision. Check out our range of sports sunglasses or customize the only pair you’ll need with Sporteyes today.