Materials glossary / Lens material
Gradient lens
On the label: Gradient lens · Lens material
What it is
A tint darker at the top than the bottom, for driving (sky dark, dashboard clear); the UV rating is separate from the tint.
Lens materials: What a lens is made of decides its weight, clarity, impact resistance and how it takes a coating; UV blocking is a property of the material and its additives, not the tint.
Wikidata: Company in Rochester, United States. Q30282550 →
In the research
15 PubMed papers mention it with jewelry, allergy, eyewear or UV; the three most recent:
- Protocol for recording neuronal activity in food and cocaine self-administration in freely behaving mice using calcium imaging · STAR protocols, 2025
- Protocol for in vivo recording of neural activity in deep structures of mice brain via gradient lenses by calcium imaging · STAR protocols, 2025
- The influence of variations in ocular biometric and optical parameters on differences in refractive error · Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophtha, 2024
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on one fabric or one filter says little about the piece in your hand.
Pieces whose listing names it
3 on the siteMatched from the words in the supplier's listing; the full material line is on each product page.
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Made in the USA
Other lens materials
Clasp & Lens describes materials from the public record and does not appraise, grade or test pieces; what a listing states is the supplier's statement. If a piece causes a rash, take it off; a reaction that spreads or blisters is a doctor's question, and sunglasses are no substitute for impact-rated eye protection where that is required.