The increased dependence on gadgets has led to the increased exposure of our eyes to blue light. As this can be damaging, blue light glasses have become very popular. Blue light glasses may be used to keep our eyes safe from the bad effects of blue light as well as eyestrain. So are they worth it? Here’s what you should know and where to get the best blue light glasses. 

What Are Blue Light Glasses?

Unlike normal glasses, blue light glasses have specially crafted lens designed to either block or filter out harmful blue light that comes from phone screens, laptop screens and other gadgets. By blocking it, the glasses help protect your eyes from eyestrain and possible vision impairment.

Here are more blue light glasses benefits:

Benefit 1: Relieve Eye Discomfort

Blue light glasses block the blue light from your devices, which has a particular wavelength that can potentially damage your retina. By blocking this light, your eyes will feel less tired, enhance your focus and improve productivity. Do remember to also take regular breaks from the screen to rest your eyes.

Blue light glasses can help relieve eyestrain caused by prolonged exposure to blue light. Pixabay (CC0)

Benefit 2: Better Sleep

Blue light can keep you awake just like exposure to sunlight, which is why using your phone in bed before sleeping keeps you from getting sleepy. With blue light glasses, you can block the blue light that delays the release of melatonin, which is a sleep-inducing hormone and help you fall asleep easier.

Benefit 3: Fewer Headaches

Prolonged exposure to light, especially blue light, can worsen headaches or cause migraines. With blue light glasses, you can block this light and prevent yourself from experiencing such issues.

Blue light glasses can block light wavelengths that stop you from sleeping easier at night. Unsplash (CC0)

Benefit 4: May Aid in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Both your cornea and eye lens are well-equipped to deal with harmful UV light and stop it from damaging your retina. Unfortunately, such is not the case with blue light.

When exposed to blue light for a long time, our retina is more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration-like (AMD) symptoms, which is a leading cause of blindness. With blue light glasses, you can mitigate eye damage that can cause bigger problems later in life.

Benefit 5: Reduced Risk of Eye Diseases

Aside from AMD, there are other eye diseases that you can get from blue light, such as vision impairment and developing cataracts. Taking a break once in a while and wearing blue light glasses can help you avoid this. In turn, your eyes will stay healthy and your vision clear.

Blue light eyes also protect our eyes from possible eye diseases like AMD. Unsplash (CC0)

Benefit 6: You Can Use Your Device More

In today’s digital age, almost anything can be done through our smartphones, laptops and other gadgets. However, this leads to increased exposure to gadgets and blue light. With blue light glasses, you can protect your eyes without worrying about potential eye or vision damage. 

Best Blue Light Glasses

Baxter Blue Glasses focuses on providing fashionable eye wear that can protect your eyes from harmful blue light. baxterblueglasses.com

Now here’s where you can get the best blue light glasses today: Baxter Blue glasses.

Baxter Blue is a Sydney-based eyewear company that specializes in fashionable and sustainable glasses with the added benefit of keeping your eyes safe from digital eye strain and blue light exposure.

Using the company’s Blue+ technology, Baxter Blue lenses can filter out up to 80% of blue light to prevent it from reaching your eyes. The filter is embedded into the lenses, not added after.

Their glasses also block:

• 100% glare through anti-reflective coating
• 100% UVA and UVB, which lets you use them as sunglasses.

Here’s what the brand currently offers:

Baxter Blue Light Glasses

Baxter Blue Light Glasses baxterblueglasses.com

As Baxter Blue’s most famous glasses, these come with lenses that help filter out 80% of blue light and 100% of UVB and UVA light. To make sure they don’t affect your color perception, these blue light glasses have clear lenses. They’re also available in reader variations that have reader strengths between +0.5 – +2.0 for magnification.

Pick a design here.

Baxter Blue Sleep Glasses

Baxter Sleep Glasses baxterblueglasses.com

These are similar to blue light glasses except for the yellow tint. Through this yellow tint, the glasses filter out specific wavelengths (450-500nm) of blue light that can affect your sleep. They’re also made to be worn at night and have minimal color distortion.

Pick from the available styles here.

Baxter Blue Sunglasses

Baxter Blue Sunglasses baxterblueglasses.com

For maximum sun protection, pick these sunglasses. In addition to 100% protection from UVA and UVB light, these sunglasses are also polarized to ensure you don’t get glare or color changes when it gets super bright. The polarized lenses are also advanced, which means you can still see in full color with no distortion.

Get your pair of Baxter Blue sunglasses here.

Baxter Blue Kids

Baxter Blue Kids baxterblueglasses.com

With the increase in kids’ screentime, there’s also more need for children’s blue light glasses. Luckily, Baxter Blue also offers blue light glasses for kids, which feature all the benefits that their adult blue light glasses have, only in smaller frames.

Shop for your kid’s blue light glasses here.

Pricing starts at $89.00 for all adult glasses and $79.00 for kids’ glasses. In addition, these glasses come with a 12- month warranty, a sturdy case and cleaning cloth. Their website has a virtual try-on feature, which uses your computer’s camera to edit the glasses onto your face so you can check which style suits you best. 

Baxter Blue also has a program that pledges one pair of glasses for every pair purchased, as the company believes that everyone in the world deserves to see better.

Are Blue Light Glasses Worth It?

Absolutely. With so much blue light coming from our daily devices, taking the extra step to take care of our eyes and vision will benefit us in the future. Luckily, brands like Baxter Blue are here to provide you with high-quality and comfortable eyewear to be more productive at work and better enjoy your hobbies like gaming and watching movies without worrying about straining your eyes.

Click here to get your blue light glasses from Baxter Blue today.

— Update: 19-01-2023 — cohaitungchi.com found an additional article Blue Light Glasses’ Benefits for Sleep and Eye Health from the website www.risescience.com for the keyword 10 benefits of blue light glasses.

Much of modern society has probably heard of blue light glasses, or more accurately, blue light-blocking glasses. How could we not when we’re surrounded by blue-light emitting sources, from our desktops to our smartphones, for several hours a day? Because of blue light’s sleep-disrupting effects and supposed eye complications, many of us have turned to blue light-filtering eyeglasses in the hopes of better sleep and eye health.

But are blue light-blocking glasses actually effective? Or are they merely marketing gimmicks by eyewear companies? Skeptics may want to keep reading about what science has to say about blue light glasses' benefits relative to sleep and eye health to help you decide if you should get a pair or not. You’ll also learn that not all blue wavelengths are detrimental to sleep, so long as you get blue light early in the day.

‍

‍

The visible light spectrum that the human eye can see ranges from 380-780 nanometers (nm). Within that spectrum, blue light is on the shorter end of 400-490 nm. Shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies and thus higher energy. That’s why blue light is also known as short wavelengths or high-energy visible light (HEV).

Blue light is present all around us. Contrary to popular misconception, blue light doesn’t just come from digital devices like your laptops and iPads. Blue wavelengths can also be found in artificial lighting sources like LED bulbs and street lamps. What’s more, blue light can also be found in nature — roughly 25% of the Sun’s rays are made up of blue wavelengths.

‍

At a glance, it seems blue light exposure is generally bad for your sleep. But the science makes clear whether it helps or hurts depends on the time of day you expose yourself to it. You want blue light when you wake up and throughout the day, and research shows we should avoid it as much as possible during the evening and at night.  

Knowing when to get and avoid blue light is more important than ever. According to an Australian-based two-year longitudinal study that was just published in June 2022, screen time from digital devices surged from an already high percentage of 86% pre-pandemic to 94% during the pandemic. During the same period, a survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) showed that 56% of Americans struggled with increased sleep disturbances since the start of the pandemic, a trend now coined as “COVID-somnia.” A systematic review published in 2022 then bridged the gap between increased screen time and poor sleep. It highlighted that too much blue light from electronic devices is the likely reason you have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep at night.

Read more  5-HTP: The Supplement that Benefits Mood, Sleep, Satiety & More

Be that as it may, blue light isn’t bad for sleep, so long as you avoid it in the few hours before your target bedtime. That’s because blue light (and light in general) acts as a zeitgeber. It’s a circadian cue that interacts with your internal body clock (your circadian rhythm) to influence your sleep-wake cycle.

Blue light exposure is actually a double-edged sword. When you get enough of it as soon as you wake up and limit it to the earlier part of the day, it can keep your circadian rhythm on course. But too much of it too late in the evening misleads your body clock into thinking it’s still daytime, which throws your sleep-wake cycle off balance, disrupting your sleep.

The Sleep-Disrupting Effects of Blue Light Too Close To Bedtime

Let’s first explore how ill-timed blue light exposure disrupts your sleep.

A special group of neurons scientifically known as the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) is located in your retina. These photoreceptors receive light, including blue wavelengths, from your surroundings, and project them to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in your brain, otherwise known as the master circadian clock or master pacemaker. The light-sensitive photoreceptors work with your biological clock to influence your sleep-wake cycle for optimal circadian alignment.

Here’s how it works:

• Under dim light conditions (read: in the absence of blue light), your body starts producing melatonin (a sleep-promoting hormone) two to three hours before your bedtime, a “circadian phase marker” scientists refer to as the dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). The DLMO marks the start of your Melatonin Window in the RISE app, the period in which your body produces peak amounts of melatonin, making it the ideal time to go to sleep.
• When it’s time to wake up, ipRGCs help your system to flush out the sleep-promoting hormone. They do so by producing a photopigment called melanopsin. In the presence of blue light (like sunlight), melanopsin suppresses melatonin production.

Unfortunately, when you’re exposed to blue light too close to bedtime, like when you’re watching hours of Netflix, melanopsin is hard at work, dampening your body’s melatonin synthesis. What’s more, research shows that the photoreceptors’ response to light exposure does not immediately stop in the absence of light. In other words, taking a break from all digital screens and artificial lighting at 10 p.m. doesn’t mean your melatonin production kicks in one minute later. It will take some time for the hormone to start being manufactured in your body again.

The result is lower melatonin levels and a later DLMO that pushes your Melatonin Window further back. Consequently, you find it harder to fall asleep and only manage to do so much later than your intended bedtime. You also experience poorer sleep in the form of reduced deep sleep and REM sleep. This makes it unlikely you’ll meet your sleep need (the genetically determined amount of sleep your body needs). Consequently, you rack up sleep debt (the amount of sleep you’ve missed in the past 14 days relative to your sleep need). Unsurprisingly, you wake up not feeling and functioning at your best the next day (and each subsequent day if you don’t make up for that lost sleep).

The Sleep-Promoting Effects of Blue Light During Daytime

Did you know that exposure to blue light early in the morning, preferably when you wake up, and throughout the day can help you meet your sleep need more effectively?

As humans, our internal clocks run slightly longer than 24 hours. Bright morning light exposure pegs our internal clock time to the exact 24-hour clock time in our external surroundings. Failure to do so means our circadian rhythm starts later, which delays our bedtime that night.

Early blue light exposure also increases sleep pressure. This helps you fall asleep more easily by your target bedtime and ensures you sleep through the night. You can make it work for you, whether at home or at work. Per a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, workers with more daylight in their offices slept about 46 minutes longer than those in windowless workplaces.

Even if you don’t have the opportunity to get bright, natural light during office hours or throughout the day, there’s a potential workaround. The previous study highlighted that artificial blue light may compete with natural light as an entrainer for the internal body clock. More scientific evidence shows that exposing yourself to blue-enriched light in the morning is enough to stabilize the internal clock, cut down on wake-up grogginess, and improve reaction times. 

Another study also sang the praises of well-timed blue light exposure during the day. Basking in blue light for as little as 30 minutes enhanced one’s alertness levels and working memory performance. Similarly, a 2021 study found that mildly sleep-deprived students exposed to blue wavelengths had better processing speed, working memory, and procedural learning.

Even shift workers, jet laggers, and people with delayed sleep phase disorder can benefit from light therapy and other lighting solutions to optimize their energy potential during wakefulness. In particular, a 2021 meta-analysis involving shift workers showed that moderate light intensity worked better for reducing sleepiness. Meanwhile, higher light intensities were more effective for shifting the sleep phase and minimizing circadian misalignment.

The bottom line is that blue light exposure in the early morning (or as soon as you wake up) is necessary for keeping your circadian rhythm on track. This, in turn, helps you fall asleep by your target bedtime and sleep through the night to meet your sleep need and keep your sleep debt low.

‍

Blue light has a bad rep for causing digital eye strain and unwanted symptoms like dry eyes, blurred vision, and eye fatigue. It’s even touted by eyewear companies as a risk factor for eye diseases like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. But the truth is, blue light isn’t actually bad for your eyes, at least not in the amounts from the average computer screen or smartphone.

Per an article published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology in February 2022, “the blue light hazard is misused as a marketing stratagem to alarm people into using” blue-light blocking glasses. Blue light hazard refers to “abnormally intense exposure” to harmful blue light that damages the retina, like gazing at the sun without sun-protective eyewear. The researchers highlighted that the term “blue light hazard” “has been misused commercially to suggest, falsely, that ambient environmental light exposure causes phototoxicity to the retina, leading to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).” In fact, there's an “absence of proof that environmental light exposure or cataract surgery causes AMD.” Plus, large-scale epidemiological studies proved that blue-light blocking glasses don’t downplay the odds of AMD or its progression. What’s more, the researchers cautioned that insufficient blue light (read: dim light settings) only increases the dangers of falls and other injuries.

For these reasons, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) highlighted that “it’s not necessary to spend money” on computer glasses to address digital eye strain.

‍

As you’ll know by now, blue light isn’t to blame for digital eye strain. Instead, it’s the prolonged exposure to digital devices and lack of proper eye health practices — like regular eye breaks from your screens — that contribute to eye fatigue.

For proof, scientists conducted a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of blue light-blocking glasses concerning digital eye strain, aka computer vision syndrome, that causes common complaints like dry eyes, blurry vision, and migraines. The results showed that “blue-blocking lenses did not alter signs or symptoms of eye strain with computer use relative to standard clear lenses.”

Instead of resorting to blue-light blocking glasses that don’t actually do anything for computer vision syndrome, take eye breaks every 20 minutes and stare at something that’s 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. For dry eye issues, try eye drops. Contact lens wearers may also want to switch to reading glasses to minimize irritation.

If your symptoms persist, schedule an eye exam with an optometrist or ophthalmologist for an in-depth diagnosis.

‍

So far, you’ve learned that blue-light filtering lenses don’t actually do anything for digital eye strain. But what about using them to improve your sleep?

The benefits of blue-light blocking glasses for healthy, naturalistic sleep and optimal energy levels are substantial and backed by science. These glasses block out all sources of blue light, from social media apps on your phone to the overhead LED lights. Without blue light entering your eyes, melanopsin isn’t activated to stop melatonin synthesis. This allows your body to produce the melatonin you need to help you fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

If you need more scientific proof, a 2021 systematic review shared substantial evidence for blue-light filtering glasses helping insomniacs, jet laggers, and shift workers fall asleep more quickly. Another study found that blue-light blocking glasses toned down the activity of ipRGCs in the retina, which led to a 58% increase in nighttime melatonin levels in participants! And parents would be delighted to hear this: one study discovered that blue light lenses stopped melatonin suppression in teenagers who used light-emitting devices, like their beloved smartphones.

There’s a catch, though: you can only reap these benefits when you wear blue-light blocking glasses at the right time, i.e., at least 90 minutes before your Melatonin Window. By reducing the amount of melatonin-delaying light into your eyeballs, these glasses help preserve the timing of your Melatonin Window to give you the best chance of falling asleep and staying asleep. In other words, you're more likely to meet your sleep need and stay circadian-ally aligned.

To help you take advantage of these perks, add the “Block All Blue Light” habit to your Energy Schedule. You'll receive a personalized reminder when to wear your glasses based on your unique chronobiology. RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to set up their Block All Blue Light reminder.

While wearing blue-light blocking glasses is one of our favorite tips for getting the sleep you need (just because of how potent ill-timed light exposure is as a sleep disruptor), the reality is that even when used properly, this eyewear isn’t enough to overcome poor sleep hygiene on its own.

Read more  What Are The Benefits Of Blue Light Blocking Glasses?

To maximize the sleep-promoting effectiveness of blue light lenses, you’ll want to steer clear of all sources of blue light in the four hours before your target bedtime (which should ideally be within your Melatonin Window). Use dim lighting at night as much as possible and keep your bedroom pitch-black for sleep. We also recommend using an eye mask. Compared to a dimly lit room, moderate amounts of ambient lighting in your bedroom pose a cardiovascular risk during the night and intensify insulin resistance the next day, a Northwestern Medicine study in PNAS warns. 

Pair these sleep-promoting tips with blue-light exposure early in the morning and throughout the day. If you need help knowing when to bask in blue light and when to avoid it, add the “Blue light control” habit to your Energy Schedule in the RISE app.

• RISE users on iOS 1.202 and above can click here to set up their Blue Light Control Habit.
• ‍We also recommend exploring our step-by-step Sleep Guide to help you structure your days and evenings for optimally-timed blue light exposure. 

Fun fact: Our eyes aren’t the only organs receptive to blue light; our skin also absorbs these wavelengths. While there’s no direct proof connecting blue light absorption of the skin and poor sleep, there are peripheral clocks in our skin cells that may be influenced by too-late blue light exposure impacting skin health and more.

‍

Now that you’re convinced of blue light glasses’ benefits for sleep, you probably want to get your hands on a pair. Before you do, take note that not all blue-light blocking glasses are created equal.

Thanks to eyewear companies’ targeted ads, many people think computer glasses with blue light-filtering lenses will work for better sleep tonight. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, as these clear lenses do not filter out all blue wavelengths that disrupt sleep. Instead, your best bet is amber (orange) lenses. A 2018 study showed that insomniacs who wore amber lenses two hours before bed slept better than those who used clear lenses.

And for the proverbial cherry on top, the best blue-light blocking glasses are relatively inexpensive and widely accessible. As a 2019 study noted, blue-light-filtering efficiency “did not correlate with price.” The pair we recommend is only a little over ten dollars and can fit over prescription glasses for spectacle-wearers.

RISE Helps You Maximize Blue Light Glasses’ Benefits

Blue-light blocking glasses help you fall asleep and stay asleep when used at the right time, i.e., 90 minutes or so before your target bedtime. But that’s not to say you should avoid blue wavelengths 24/7. You still need blue light when you wake up and throughout the day to keep yourself in circadian alignment, which, in turn, has the added benefit of helping you meet your sleep need more effortlessly.

If you need help deciding when to get blue light and when to avoid it, try the RISE app. Its 20+ science-backed habits, including “Block All Blue Light” and “Blue Light Control,” provide personalized in-app reminders based on your unique chronobiology to help you fulfill your sleep need. Because when you sleep better at night, you’ll have better energy levels during the day.

‍

More healthy habits for better sleep:

• Sleep aids: safety, side effects, and what to use instead
• Make a habit of this one “non habit-forming” sleep aid
• What does melatonin do? The misunderstood sleep hormone
• Sleeping with the lights on can be hazardous to your health
• Do blue-light blocking glasses work? Here's the science
• What is the best AC temperature for sleeping?
• Why do I sweat in my sleep? Top causes and fixes
• Sleeping after eating: why you feel tired and how long to wait
• Should you be drinking water before bed?
• Why do I pee so much at night? Should I be worried?
• Does exercise before bed really affect your sleep?
• Does alcohol help you sleep? No. Here are 13 reasons why
• How long does caffeine last? It's longer than you think
• What is the best time to go to sleep and wake up?
• Wide awake at 3 a.m.? Here's how to fall back asleep easily

— Update: 31-01-2023 — cohaitungchi.com found an additional article What Are the Benefits of Blue Light Glasses? from the website riverheightseyecare.com for the keyword 10 benefits of blue light glasses.

Are your eyes tired and strained after staring at a computer screen all day? Do you get a headache after spending the day in the sunlight? If so, you may be feeling the effects of too much blue light.

Too much blue light can leave your eyes fatigued, unfocused and can lead to many more symptoms.

Blue light can be pretty bad for your eyes, and sometimes it’s impossible to avoid. Luckily, blue light glasses can block the blue light and can counteract its negative consequences.

What is Blue Light? 

Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum that the human eye can see. Simply put, it is the light we see that has the shortest wavelength and highest energy.

Sources of Blue Light

Blue light makes up approximately one-third of all the light we see. Sources of blue light include:

• Sunlight
• Computer monitors
• Smartphone screens
• Flat-screen televisions
• LED lights
• Fluorescent light
• Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs
• Tablet screens.

Sunlight is the primary source of natural blue light, and digital devices emit only a fraction of that emitted by the sun. But unfortunately, due to the amount of time people spend using digital devices and how close we view them, the risk of blue light from digital devices can be much more harmful than we realize.

How Does Blue Light Affect You?

Almost all visible blue light passes through the cornea and lens and reaches the retina. In large amounts, blue light can increase your risk of eye disease and harm your health in many other ways. Some of the ways blue light can affect you include:

• It can disrupt your sleep patterns
• It can lead to eye strain
• It can increase your risk of developing eye diseases such as macular degeneration
• It can cause headaches
• It can cause eye pain 
• It can cause dry eye 

What are Blue Light Glasses?

Blue light glasses are glasses that are specifically made to block or filter out blue light. Although there hasn’t been much research done on the effect of blue light blocking glasses, some studies show that blue light glasses may:

• Improve visual performance
• Improve sleep quality
• Alleviate eye fatigue
• Conserve macular health

Blue light glasses might not work for everyone, but they may help reduce potential damage to the eyes from prolonged exposure to blue light. 

When to Wear Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Blue light is all around us, so how do you know when to wear your blue light glasses? We recommend wearing your blue light blocking glasses when:

• You are using any digital devices for a prolonged period
• You are spending time outdoors in the sunlight and do not have sunglasses
• You are exposed to LED bulbs, whether it be in your home or outside of your home

Additional Tips

In addition to wearing blue light glasses, there are some steps you can take to lessen the symptoms associated with too much blue light. This includes:

• Practice the 20-20-20 rule: Take a break from digital devices every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a break from the screen and helps them relax. 
• Use eye drops: Eye drops can keep your eyes lubricated throughout the day if you are experiencing dry eyes from blue light.
• Avoid too much screen time and sunlight: The best way to lower your exposure to blue light is by limiting how much time you spend looking at devices or in the sun. 
• Distance yourself from screens: To avoid blue light exposure, sit an arm’s length away from your screen. 
• Using screen filters: You can install or enable certain screen filters that lower blue light exposure on certain digital devices.
• Adjust your lighting: If you have LED bulbs in your home and you cannot change them, consider adding additional light sources that do not use LED bulbs.
• Wear sunglasses: If you spend a lot of time in the sun, your eyes will be exposed to large amounts of blue light. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. 

Taking care of your vision and eye health is a crucial component of your overall wellness. Book an appointment with your eye care professional to determine whether or not blue light glasses are the proper treatment for you.

— Update: 02-02-2023 — cohaitungchi.com found an additional article What Are The Benefits Of Blue Light Blocking Glasses? from the website lensology.co.uk for the keyword 10 benefits of blue light glasses.

In our increasingly connected world of virtual workplaces, family chats, exercise and home-schooling, talk of blue light and its potentially harming effects on our overall health are coming to the fore. But what do we need to pay attention to and what can we do about it?

What is blue light and where is it found?

Light is made up of several colours with blue emitting the highest energy of the spectrum due to its short wavelength. This, in short, means that blue light is closest in frequency to harmful UV light, which we already know we need to limit our exposure to where possible.

Blue light is everywhere, which isn’t as scary as it sounds. Naturally occurring from the sun, our bodies are accustomed to it to some degree and natural light is beneficial to our overall health. The limitations of exposure are more focussed around digital blue light emitted from screens – TVs, laptops, tablets, computers, phones, gaming, and so on.

Read more  Citric Acid Pros & Cons: Is Citric Acid Harmful to the Body?

How does blue light affect our health?

Blue light exposure can impact us in several different ways. Patients have experienced strain and pain in and around the eyes, headaches, and fatigue which can lead to poor posture – particularly prevalent particularly in gamers, laptop users, and prolific phone users. Another particularly damaging side effect of blue light is the potential for it to disrupt our circadian rhythm – our sleep/wake pattern – essentially causing poor quality sleep which opens doors to further health implications.

What can you do about blue light exposure?

There are lots of high-quality research pieces about screen time exposure with recommendations for both children and adults. For children, it is recommended that under 5’s don’t exceed over an hour of screen time and a maximum of two hours for older children (Source: World Health Organisation). Whilst there are no set adult screen times recommendations, they again are advised to spend no more than two hours before detrimental impact can occur.

What we do know is that this is most certainly not possible with work commitments and the challenges brought to the world in 2020 by COVID-19, with adults spending over 40% of their time a day on a screen device of some kind. That’s a whopping 6.25hrs a day and 45hrs a week! (Source: OFCOM).

You can take active measures to keep an eye on screen time and usage and using blue light blocking glasses is a fantastic tactic in alleviating the impact on your health it can cause.

How do blue light blocking glasses work?

Blue light blocking lenses block out the blue light emitted to your eyes. At Lensology, our blue light lenses block UVA and UVB rays, which we already know are very damaging to eyesight – all this in a virtually clear lens.

The new range of Blue Light Blocking Glasses from Lensology is non-prescription meaning any screen user, adult or child, can help to protect their eyes. For prescribed eyecare, the blue-blocking protection can be added to any prescription lens.

How do blue light glasses help your eyes?

Research into blue light is still fairly new and so further benefits may become more apparent as their usage increases. Lensology cites 6 key benefits to wearing them;

1. Long term eye protection

Conserving the condition of your eyesight is something we too often do not do. We now know to wear sunglasses in bright sunlight almost habitually. With the digital world around us forever increasing in frequency and format, protecting eyes from the impact it can have seems like a simple step in future-proofing our eyesight for the long term.

2. Prevents eye strain

Eye strain can be caused by a variety of issues and so we would always recommend you seek medical/optical advice should you experience it. If it is found to be from digital use then Lensology’s blue-light-blocking glasses and lenses can make a sizeable impact on the strain to your eyes, improving concentration and vision throughout the day.

3. Improves sleep

By blocking the blue light, the glasses and lenses can therefore halt the disruption to your circadian rhythm as mentioned earlier. It may not be blue light alone disrupting your sleep, but research has found it to have a detrimental impact. By limiting the blue light and ideally not using a screen in bed before you go to sleep (we are all guilty!), you can give your body the restful sleep it needs to function properly, and frankly, it deserves it.

4. Prevents dry eyes

Dry eyes may sound like a minor affliction but when you are trying to concentrate or about to drive after a few hours working, gaming, or networking online, it is not what you need. Also, increased rubbing of your eyes due to dryness can make them sore and mean you are touching your eyes considerably more than you should. Limit the transfer of bacteria to your eyes and make your screen time more comfortable by blocking out the blue light causing the dryness.

5. Relief from headaches

Now again, headaches are not to be taken lightly and you should seek medical advice before self-treating. If you are found to be experiencing headaches due to your blue light exposure through screen time, then Lensology’s Blue Light Blocking Glasses and lenses are a simple and effective way to alleviate headaches.

A welcome addition is an improvement in posture – often impacted by headaches and eye strain and as a result, can be a debilitating side effect of blue light disrupting your daily life.

6. Blue light lenses can fit in any frames

You do not need to change your frames should you decide to add blue light blocking to your eyecare. If you have the frames you want, Lensology can reglaze your glasses with many different filters and protective glazed lenses including the blue light blocking function. If you are non-prescription, then their new range for children and adults caters for those patients looking for blue light blocking only, with the added features including;

• Blue light blocking
• Anti-glare coating
• Anti UVA and UVB
• Scratch-resistant
• Anti- smudge, and fingerprint
• Water repellent
• Dust Repellent
• Reduced colour and image distortion

Blue light exposure isn’t going away, quite the contrary, but we can take simple steps to manage its effects on our health and well-being, and blue light blocking eyecare is a simple and effective way to do this.

Check out how Lensology can help you here with their simple postal reglazing and frames services.

— Update: 09-02-2023 — cohaitungchi.com found an additional article Do Blue Light Glasses Work? A Scientific Look at Their Possible Benefits from the website www.everydayhealth.com for the keyword 10 benefits of blue light glasses.

What Scientific Research Says About Blue Light Glasses

So far, research doesn’t support the idea that blue light glasses can relieve digital eyestrain symptoms, such as headaches, dry eyes, or blurred vision. “There haven’t been any scientific studies that have proven they have any sort of health benefits,” says Vivienne Sinh Hau, MD, an ophthalmologist at Kaiser Permanente in Riverside, California.

According to a trial published in February 2021 in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, blue light glasses worn during a two-hour computer task did not change eyestrain symptoms whatsoever. And another small study, published January 2019 in Optometry and Vision Science, found that even though a blue-blocking filter used on a computer screen blocked 99 percent of wavelengths between 400 and 500 nanometers, it didn’t alleviate digital eyestrain symptoms any more effectively than a neutral filter.

That’s likely because blue light isn’t the only reason for digital eyestrain. “The screen-related issues that people are having with their eyes are indeed more likely related to dry eye, eyestrain — things like that,” says Lauren Branchini, MD, an ophthalmologist at UMass Memorial Medical Center and an assistant professor at UMass Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Those symptoms are more likely due to the way we interact with our devices. “When you’re staring at a screen, a tablet, your phone, whatever, you don’t blink as much as you would in natural conversation, so the eyes can get dryer,” Frempong says. “And the screen should be two feet away from the face and not smack-dab against your face.”

In short, because blue light isn’t to blame for the headaches and dry eyes you’re feeling, blue light glasses likely won’t help.

But one thing these glasses do seem to help with is sleep. An article published in 2021 in Applied Psychology gathered data from 63 managers and found that wearing blue light glasses improved sleep quality and quantity. Wearing the glasses also improved work performance.

Another small trial, published January 2019 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, found that amber-tinted blue light glasses worn for two hours before bed improved sleep for individuals with insomnia. It helped them fall asleep faster and log a longer, higher-quality night of sleep. The researchers think this is because the glasses reduced suppression of melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone that that is suppressed during blue light exposure, according to a systematic review published in February 2019 in Chronobiology International. Yet the researchers from the Journal of Psychiatric Research trial did not specifically look at melatonin levels, so they cannot be sure if the glasses minimized that effect.

RELATED: How Do Different Types of Melatonin Work?

Should You Try Blue Light Blocking Glasses?

While there is some evidence that blue light glasses can keep your screen time from messing with your sleep, they’re unlikely to relieve digital eyestrain symptoms altogether and won’t protect against macular degeneration.

None of this has stopped some doctors from touting them. Boots Opticians in the United Kingdom was fined about $56,000 for overstating claims that blue light lenses help prevent eye disease, according to Optometry Today.

Some people swear these glasses offer relief, however. And if they work for you, go for it. There’s likely no harm, according to Baylor College of Medicine. “If you get a benefit or feel more comfortable wearing them, then wear them,” Frempong says. “They’re certainly not going to hurt you, but there’s no evidence that they’re helping you.”

The Best Blue Light Glasses, According to Health Experts

If you decide to give them a try, Dr. Hau recommends finding a pair with anti-glare lenses. You can easily find options with a quick Google search. Warby Parker sells blue-light-filtering lenses, which can be added to any frame for $50. Brands like Target and J.Crew sell blue light glasses for about $10, while options from Look Optic and Felix Gray cost around $65 to $95.

They’re not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, so it can be difficult to know if you’re getting a quality pair. Hau says to visit an optical shop that has an optometrist or ophthalmologist working on-site. “They should be selling legitimate products,” she says.

Dr. Branchini adds that though research so far doesn’t show a benefit to these glasses, that could change in the future as more studies are conducted. “I don’t routinely recommend them because I don’t think it’s been well demonstrated to have much benefit,” Branchini says. “That being said, the jury’s still out. We don’t really know for sure.”

RELATED: Is Blue Light Harming Your Skin Health?