Abstract

Tinted lenses are known to influence contrast sensitivity by interfering with light transmission. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different gradings of grey tinted lenses such as 15% and 25% on near contrast sensitivity. Forty-four healthy individuals including sixteen males and twenty-eight females participated in this study. The mean age was 22.09 ± 1.84 years with mean spherical equivalent of -2.22 ± 1.71D. Contrast sensitivity was measured by using near FACT chart with only 6cpd spatial frequency was measured. The mean contrast sensitivity without any tinted lenses, with 15% and 25% grey tinted lenses was 2.03 ± 0.13, 2.08 ± 0.11 and 1.96 ± 0.15 respectively. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that there was a statistically significant difference in contrast sensitivity without any tinted lenses and with the different gradings of grey tinted lenses, F (1.74, 74.74) = 26.25, p < 0.001. In this study, it could be noted that contrast sensitivity at 6cpd was higher with the 15% tinted lens followed by the habitual state and a reduction was also found with the 25% tinted lens. Therefore, to conclude, it is of utmost importance to consider the spatial aspects of tasks and the effect of tints on contrast sensitivity before prescribing them.

Keywords: Grey tinted lenses; Near contrast sensitivity