UV filters are compounds, mixtures, or materials that block or absorb ultraviolet (UV) light. One of the major applications of UV filters is their use as sunscreens to protect skin from sunburn and other sun/UV related damage. After the invention of digital cameras changed the field of photography, UV filters have been used to coat glass discs fitted to camera lenses to protect hardware that is sensitive to UV light. Background Earlier types of photographic film were quite sensitive to UV light, which used to cause haziness or fogginess, and a bluish hue in color film. UV filters were used to filter out shorter ultraviolet wavelengths while remaining transparent to visible light. However, the modern-day photographic film and digital cameras are less sensitive to UV wavelengths. UV filters are sometimes referred to as L37 or L39 filters, depending on the wavelengths of light they filter out. For example, an L37 filter removes ultraviolet light with wavelengths shorter than 370 nanometers (nm), whereas an L39 filter eliminates light with wavelengths shorter than 390 nm. Applications in printing and photography UV filters span the color spectrum and are used for a wide variety of applications. So-called Ortho Red and Deep Ortho Red lights are commonly used in diffusion transfer, in typesetting film or paper, and other applications dealing with orthochromatic materials. Yellow Gold, Yellow, Lithostar Yellow, and Fuji Yellow filters or safelights provide safe workspaces for contact proofing applications like screen printing and plate making. Pan Green, Infrared Green, and Dark Green filters or safelights are commonly used in scanning applications, work with panchromatic film, papers, and x-rays. Many photographers and cinematographers still use UV filters to protect their lenses' glass and coating. However, UV filters, as with any optical filter, may introduce lens flare and harm contrast and sharpness. Hoods can counteract this, as they offer some protection against impact and shade optical elements, thus preventing lens flare. Also, quality UV filters offer some protection against lens contamination while minimizing the inherent additional distortion. In photography, the term "UV filter" can also be misused as a filter that passes UV light while blocking other wavelengths in the light spectrum, in the same way, the term "IR filter" is used for filtering the entire spectrum. The correct name for such filters are "UV pass filter" and "IR pass filter" respectively, and they are only used in very specialized photography. Applications in personal