# Why are Pink 1 or 2 tinted eyeglass lenses covered by insurance?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pink-1-or-2-tinted-eyeglass-lenses-covered-by-insurance/142266>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 12, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pink-1-or-2-tinted-eyeglass-lenses-covered-by-insurance/142266 "2002-12-12T16:41:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pink-1-or-2-tinted-eyeglass-lenses-covered-by-insurance/142266/1 "2002-12-12T16:41:15Z")

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This is a rather obscure question. I was reading through the details for my vision plan at work, and in the list of items that are not covered, it says “photochromic or tinted lenses other than Pink 1 or 2”.

Anyone know why there are the exceptions for pink tint? I presume it’s a medical thing rather than a cosmetic thing, but haven’t been able to find anything relevant on Google.

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**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pink-1-or-2-tinted-eyeglass-lenses-covered-by-insurance/142266/2 "2002-12-12T17:07:12Z")

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Pretty much a SWAG here, but people with severe color blindness sometimes wear one tinted lens and one normal lens. The tint causes enough of a shift in the color “seen” by one eye to let them distinguish colors they normally could not.

I always thought it was a red lens but I suppose pink counts as red.

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**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pink-1-or-2-tinted-eyeglass-lenses-covered-by-insurance/142266/3 "2002-12-12T19:23:42Z")

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These [tinted lenses](http://www.callbpi.com/colors/colorhtm/cc-ther.html) (one of which appears pinkish) are used for treating depression.