Do Blue Light Blocking Glasses Actually Work

How much time do you spend in front of a digital screen daily? If it’s 6 hours or more, some kind of blue light reduction technique is recommended.

Whether it may be a pair of blue light blocking glasses, or some kind of special screen protectors.

Now-a-days people have started to worry about the health effects of blue light emitting from digital devices. People are looking for a solution to protect their eyes from the harmful effects of blue light rays.

One of the best and easiest ways to protect our eyes from the overexposure of this type of light is by using specially designed blue light blocking glasses.

That’s why, blue light blocking glasses are becoming more popular day by day.

But, do they really help or is it just a marketing hype? This is what we are going to discuss in this article. Keep reading to learn more.

Importance of blue light protection

Though electronic companies are saying that digital devices emit blue light at a lower frequency which will not damage our vision.

But, too much use of digital devices can lead to eye strain, headaches, blurred vision, insomnia and abnormal sleep patterns.

Almost all visible blue light passes through our eyes and reaches the retina. This may affect our vision and damage retinal cells.

Research shows that too much exposure to blue light can lead to digital eye strain and age-related macular degeneration.

Many studies have shown that the use of laptops, smartphones and tablets at bedtime can disrupt our body’s natural circadian rhythm.

Blue light from electronic devices directly affect our sleep cycle. At night time, decreased light signals our body to generate Melatonin which is known as the sleeping hormone. Blue light disrupts this signal. That’s why, less Melatonin generates and causes sleepless night.

This can encourage people to look at the fairly unregulated market for a solution to block blue light.

Eye care professionals always suggest to reduce the screening time.

Unfortunately, we can’t avoid using computers, phones and tablets in our everyday life. So, we need something that can protect us from the bad effects of blue light.

Now a days many people use blue light blocking glasses to improve their eye comfort.

There are lots of eyewear companies are selling lenses that claim to filter out blue light rays emitted from electronic devices to reduce eye strain, headaches and sleep problems.

What are blue light blocking glasses

Blue light blocking glasses are designed to filter out blue light from entering our eyes. It absorbs rays produced by the digital devices like Computer, Laptop, Phone, Tablet etc.

This is a special kind of glasses that contains lenses that partially block short wave blue light.

Do blue light blocking glasses really work or just a Hype

The true fact is, most of the problems (including eye strain and headaches) we are having with computers aren’t for Blue light. It’s from how we are using the computer.

Actually, we are spending more time in front of a computer screen without taking any break. We are also staring at our devices without blinking for long time which causes eye strain.

Usually, we blink 15 or more times a minute and our blink rate can drop by 50 percent or more when we focus on something.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says, blue light from digital devices does not cause eye disease and even doesn’t cause eye strain. Even they don’t recommend to use any special eyewear for computer users as they think the problems people complain about are simply caused by the over use of digital devices.

Eye strain is a very common side effect of long term use of digital screen and can lead to headaches, shoulder pain and blurred vision.

The Vision Council, which represents the optical industry says specialized glasses are one tactic that might cut eye strain.

According to The Vision Council, 80% of American adults are using digital devices for more than 2 hours per day with nearly 67% using two or more devices at the same time. And 59% are experiencing the symptoms of digital eye strain.

Both Vision Council and Pierce recommend using blue light blocking glasses to make it easier to look at a digital screen and reduce the eye strain or any other eye discomfort.

There are people who faced dry eyes. But, after using the glasses they got relief from the dry eyes symptoms. Actually, there are lots of people who find it’s useful to reduce their eye strain, dry eyes, blurred vision and headaches. But, it may not work for all the people.

Even, there’s ophthalmologist who recommend blue light blocking glasses to many of their patients.

As blue light affects our sleep and that is true. Blue light glasses can increase our sleep quality.

Though manufacturers claim that blue light blocking glasses can prevent harmful blue light from damaging our eyes. But, there’s no enough evidence to support the potential benefits of blue light glasses.

Even the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the blue light filtering technology of glasses because it’s not a medical product.

Do I need blue light blocking glasses

So, you may think do I need blue light blocking glasses. Well, it completely depends on you.

In our research, we have found mixed responses about the benefits of blue light lenses.

Some are saying that they got benefits by using blue light lenses. Some are saying they didn’t get any particular benefits by using them.

But, it’s a good idea to wear blue light blocking glasses when using digital devices for a long time.

Even research has shown that wearing a pair of filtering glasses 3/4 hours before bedtime can lead to better and more restful sleep.

Final verdict

So, do we recommend to use blue light blocking glasses?

Actually, we recommend to use any available technique that will filter out blue light rays.

So, you can use a pair of glasses while using digital devices. If you don’t like glasses, you may use screen protectors.

Personally, I use a pair of blue light blocking glasses and I observed it’s very useful. If I use Smartphone or laptop for a long time, I face blurred vision problem.

But, if I use glasses, I don’t face any problem. Even I feel very comfortable when wearing them.

That’s why, blue light blocking glasses are recommended for people who spent a lot of time in front of a digital screen.

If you have a bad habit of looking at your phone for a long time at night, blue light glasses might help you.

It’s recommended to consult with your ophthalmologist before choosing the glass.