Do Blue Light Glasses Work?

People have started to worry about the health effects of blue light emitting from screens. For this reason, more and more people are wearing blue light glasses. These are glasses that contain lenses that partially block short-wave blue light.

1. What Are Blue Light Glasses?

Blue light blocking glasses are glasses that manufacturers claim can filter out blue light. The blue light filtering glasses have filtering materials or surface coatings on the lenses that block a portion of blue light.

People who think that their eye and vision symptoms are caused by blue light exposure may wear affordable blue light glasses to decrease their exposure to the blue light.

Blue light itself is a short-wave blue light in the spectrum of colors visible to the human eye. Its wavelength is in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is roughly 400–500 nanometers (nm). Researchers believe that peak light damage occurs roughly at 440 nm. Computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and general lighting can all expose the eyes to blue light.

2. Do You Need Blue Light Glasses?

If you experience eye strain or have sleep problems(especially after excessive screen time), blue light safety glasses can be worth looking into. Blue light non prescription glasses may alleviate some of your eye strain or help you get to sleep a little more easily, or they may not. Some people swear by them, while others don’t see much of a benefit.

3. The Possible Benefits of Blue Light Glasses

Our experience with modern technology is relatively young, especially the habit of spending 11 hours a day with our eyes fixed on screens. There’s a lot things we still don’t know about how the blue light blocking safety glasses affect our eye health.

At present, blue light filtering glasses are often associated with two potential benefits: reduced eye strain and better sleep.

“Whenever we use our digital devices, especially late into the night, we’re actually telling our brains to keep our bodies awake,” said Caroline Dubreuil, the product marketing manager at EyeBuyDirect.

“Research shows that wearing blue glare glasses three to four hours before bedtime can lead to better and more restful sleep,” Dubreuil added.

4. Are Blue Light Glasses Worth Buying?

While stylish blue light glasses technically do work, whether they're worth buying is another question. Because if the true effects of blue light on human eyes are still up in the air, so is the ability of blue light glasses to do anything to help?

And research on the glasses themselves is somewhat inconclusive. A 2017 systematic review that looked at three studies on the effects of blue‐light-blocking lenses on visual performance, macular health, and the sleep‐wake cycle found no high-quality evidence to support using these types of lenses. That said, aside from the cost, there's no huge risk in trying blue light glasses.

Computers, televisions, phones, and tablets all emit blue light. The blue light emitted from these devices may not be enough to cause eye or vision damage, even with long-term exposure. However, further studies are necessary to confirm whether or not blue light emitted from these devices is harmful.

Experts are also unsure whether or not blue light glasses are helpful for symptoms associated with increased exposure to screens. Eye doctors suggest that eye fatigue, headaches, and poor sleep may be associated with computer vision syndrome instead of blue light exposure. 

Of course, you can buy blue ray glasses to make your eyes easier to looking at the screen at night.