16 Jun 2026
There was a time when wearing tinted lenses indoors felt slightly suspicious. A little bit rock star. A little bit “who do they think they are?” Possibly somebody avoiding paparazzi. Or recovering from the night before.
But suddenly, tinted lenses are back.
And this time they make perfect sense.
According to EYES on St Albans, modern tinted and colour-changing lenses are becoming increasingly popular not just because they look fantastic, but because modern life is visually exhausting.
“We’ve spent years almost training people that lenses should always be completely clear indoors,” says Jez Levy from EYES on St Albans. “Now people are realising that slight tints can actually make life more comfortable as well as more stylish.”
And modern life is very different from the office environments occupational lenses were originally designed for.
People now move constantly between laptops, coffee shops, co-working spaces, bright cafés, trains, outdoor seating areas and harsh LED lighting – often all in the same day.
Which is where the new Varilux® Immersia™ occupational lenses from Essilor come in.
Designed to support near vision and prolonged digital work, the lenses offer a wider near-vision zone, encourage a more natural posture at screens and help reduce digital eye strain.
And whilst occupational lenses have been around for a while (and they’re a game changer for so many already!) these new lenses can now be paired with the full range of modern Transitions colours.
Which means they can adapt beautifully between indoor and outdoor environments while still looking sleek, fashion-led and wearable all day long.
And honestly? They look bloody brilliant.
Especially when paired with the bold handcrafted JL Spex collection at EYES on St Albans – although the lenses can also be fitted into many existing frames through reglazing.
The technology itself has evolved dramatically too.
As with all lenses from EYES on St Albans, these will have blue light filtering, UVA and UVB protection, anti-scratch coatings, anti-reflection technology, and water and dust repellence.
So these are not “fashion tints” in the old sense.
They’re high-performance lenses for people living modern, screen-heavy, light-changing lives.
There’s also something quietly rebellious happening culturally too.
After years of minimalist sameness, people are embracing personality again. Colour is returning to fashion. Eyewear is becoming expressive. And people increasingly want glasses that feel intentional rather than invisible.
Tinted lenses fit perfectly into that mood.
And EYES is only just getting started.
The team has already teased that more tint options across the wider Varilux and single vision lens collections are arriving very, very soon.
So if tinted lenses once felt like something reserved for 1970s rock stars and people trying to hide indoors, they’re now becoming one of the smartest – and best-looking – eyewear choices of modern life.
Comfortable. Functional. Fashion-led.
A little bit rebellious too.
Exactly how EYES likes it.
