Best Blue Light Blocking Glasses

The average person spends a lot of – if not too much – time in front of a screen every day. Be it your computer, laptop, the TV, or your phone, exposure to all of these devices can be detrimental to your vision and sleep-related health.

A primary reason for this is the intense blue light that these devices emit: it strains your eyes, causing blurred vision, dizziness, headaches, and throwing off your sleep schedule.

Blue light blocking glasses are a recent development with combating these effects in mind. They’re a new technology that haven’t been officially regulated yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find good ones on the market. There are plenty of positive testimonials from people already using them, so why not give them a try to “see” for yourself?

Best Blue Light Blocking Glasses Reviews

Why Wear Blue Light Blocking Glasses?

Blue light has its effects on us and potentially our health, if our exposure to it is not moderated. Blue light has shorter and brighter wavelengths than other colors on the visible light spectrum and as a result its effects are somewhat similar to those of ultraviolet (UV) rays. The brain interprets the blue light emitted from screens as sunlight and keeps us awake.

This, of course, becomes an issue in the evening, when the brain’s production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin is delayed, resulting in a thrown-off internal sleep clock (circadian rhythm) and a lower quality of sleep.

By blocking out the intense blue light coming from these screens, these glasses can help the user’s brain return to normal melatonin production, find their proper circadian rhythm, and lessen other effects such as eye strain which leads to blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, and more.

Dangers of Blue Light

Apart from the obvious disturbance in the sleep cycle, blue light has also been associated with causing something known as digital eye strain.

Continued exposure to light from devices can cause blurred vision and other symptoms such as burning, stinging or tearing up of the eyes.

Prolonged exposure can also bring about dry eyes and strain muscles that help with eye focus. All this happens because when you stare at a screen your eyes don’t blink as frequently.

Over time, this can cause disruption and evaporation of the tear film that protects the ocular surface. Also, when viewing digital devices, your eyes don’t get a break from looking pixelated images that keep changing rapidly or flicker multiple times a second.

All this can be hard to keep up with for the eyes and it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a sharp or consistent focus on an electronic image compared to a hard image.

Of course, there’s the option of light-blocking on most of your devices, but there’s no proof verifying that they’re actually effective at doing their job. That said, with the increase in the number of studies around blue light blocking glasses, there’s more evidence suggesting that the glasses do work in blocking out blue light and preventing further damage.

Features to Look For

There are a few key features to keep an eye out for when searching for efficient blue light blocking glasses. Keep in mind, these are features to determine the success of the glasses as well as their convenience. Not all of the following features have to be met to their peak condition for the glasses to be of high-quality.

— How much blue light they can block

The blue light blocking capabilities of the glasses will vary depending on their quality and the better ones usually indicate how much blue light (in percentage) they can block out. The percentage range can vary anywhere from 50% of all blue light to 90%.

— The color of the lens

The intensity of the red tint on the lens can be an indicator of how effective it is in blocking out blue light. The redder and darker the lens, the more blue light it blocks out. These should be used for situations with more intense blue light, such as in front of a screen at night.

Lighter lenses are recommended for daytime as they don’t create any prominent color distortion. Consider the color of your blue-light blocking lenses based on the time of day you spend most in front of the screen.

— Prescription strength

Some brands and sellers will have the option of ordering glasses ready-made to match your pre-existing prescription strength. They won’t likely be as specifically customized as regular prescription glasses, but it would help immensely if you can actually see trough the glasses you’re wearing.

— Fitting over

For those who already wear prescription eyeglasses, there’s another option: fit-over style pairs. These types of blue-light blocking glasses fit right over your regular glasses, so you don’t have to worry about wearing potentially irritating contact lenses instead.

— The head size

These blue light blocking glasses are made for people of all ages, meaning they’ll be available in different sizes. You want one that fits comfortably and securely, especially if you plan on using these glasses on a regular basis. Always be sure to check in order to avoid getting a kid-sized pair for your adult head.

— The Value

Blue light blocking glasses are fairly inexpensive – even the better-quality ones can be found at less than $50, and cheaper ones can go for as low as $10. You don’t have to worry too much about pricing as you’re bound to find a good pair of glasses within your budget.

Conclusion

Blue light blocking glasses have their advantages that many current users can agree do work. They’re a relatively new technology but look very promising in helping counter the effects of blue light from screens.

Along with using these anti-blue light glasses, we should make a habit out of taking certain measures to further protect our eyes. There’s the common 20-20-20 rule which basically means you take a break from looking at your screen every 20 minutes to look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Keeping a good distance from your screen also helps, and so does reducing the glare on your device using a matte screen protector.