Only through the introduction of filtering or coating the lens. Otherwise, all of the light that hits the lens will be transmitted (minus the minute amount lost due to absorption).
Light loss in the glass and coatings is not trivial. The total light transmittance through a material is equal to the total incident light less the light that is absorbed and light that is scattered. You also have the glues on doublet lenses increasing loss.
The curious thing is that the author claims manufacturers optimize their optics for in-store fluorescent lights, not light outdoors. That is hard to believe. Whenever I have purchased optics, the retailer or booth vendor has always allowed me to go outside to test. It amazes me that sometimes I can walk outside with a $2,000 pair of Swarovski binos without so much as leaving a driver license behind.