How Can I Choose The Best Blue Light Blocking Glasses?

How Can I Choose The Best Blue Light Blocking Glasses?

Every day we are exposed to different sources of light, which is crucial for our lives. Light allows us to see, read, and successfully perform our daily activities, as well as to truly appreciate the world around us that is colored by all the colors of the spectrum. Blue light affects our wakefulness during the day and drowsiness at night. The influence of blue light is twofold – both positive and negative. Exposure to sunlight during the day, for example, helps us adjust our body clock and maintain a circadian rhythm. The problem arises when we are exposed to artificial blue light later in the day and night.

What is blue light?

Blue light is all around us. Our body uses sunlight to regulate the cycles of sleep and wakefulness (i.e. our circadian rhythm). When you are outside, you are illuminated by the sun's rays that pass through the atmosphere. Part of the sun's rays is blue light, which has a shorter wavelength, but more energy. In a collision with air molecules, blue light is scattered everywhere. Blue light is a high-energy visible light that is normally found all around us. Sunlight is the largest natural source of both invisible ultraviolet and visible blue light.

In addition to sunlight, there are a number of artificial, internal sources of blue light, including the light emitted by computer screens, smartphones, and TVs, that can be harmful to your eyes if you are overexposed to it.

How blue light affects your eyes

When blue light reaches your eyes, it passes through the cornea and reaches the retina. Although our eyes are designed to block blue light well, we still have too much contact with artificial blue light. This can lead to the following conditions and disorders:

Reduced sleep quality. Blue light affects the production of hormones in the brain, positively or negatively. An example of a negative impact is reduced melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep. If you are overexposed to blue light before bedtime, your brain acts as if it is still day and therefore blocks the secretion of melatonin1.

Dry eye. Tears on the surface of the eye form a thin film that maintains eye moisture. Research shows2 that blue light can impair tear film stability and make your eyes irritated and tired. Blue light can indirectly cause dry eye by keeping you awake longer, which, over time, can cause dry-eye syndrome3.

Digital eye strain. Spending many hours in front of a monitor, mobile phone or TV leads to excessive eye strain and thus reduces your productivity. When you have eye strain caused by too much exposure to blue light, you may have difficulty focusing, blurred vision, headaches, dry-eye syndrome, and neck and back pain.

Macular degeneration. There is growing evidence4 in medicine that exposure to blue light can cause eye-related conditions. Blue light contributes to damage to cells in the retina, which can cause macular degeneration. As we age, the structure of the lenses in our eyes changes and weakens, causing many other age-related conditions, such as cataracts.

Wearing blue light blocking glasses is beneficial

All symptoms you may develop as a result of spending hours in front of your digital device may go away if you wear the best blue light glasses. They are particularly crucial if you are working at home, watching movies, or scrolling down Instagram or Facebook right before bedtime. However, not all blue light glasses on the market are of the same quality. Cheap ones won’t give you optimal protection for your eyes. Also, there are many glasses with yellow or orange tints, which most people don’t like.

Spektrum glasses can block 50% of the blue light coming from your digital device, which is the optimal amount for protecting your eyes. They are less-tinted, fashionable, and won’t give you that uncomfortable yellow/orange look.

How to choose the best blue light blocking glasses

Wearing glasses is challenging, especially if you are wearing glasses with magnification. They are part of you every day, just like your regular clothes. Whether you have to wear them all the time, or just when you are in front of the TV, phone, tablet, PC, etc., it is important you wear something comfortable that feels pleasant on your face. As mentioned before, not all glasses are made from high-quality materials. Therefore, when choosing and finding the best for you, you should pay attention to several things:

Frame material. This may be the most important part of your blue glasses. The frame material should be adjustable to your face, so you won’t have problems wearing them. Some of the frame materials that Spektrum glasses are made from are as follows:

Acetate is a material containing 75% cotton fibers. Acetate in its original form is a transparent liquid, and the desired color is added before it is poured into molds. It is a lightweight, hypoallergenic material that can be slightly softer than other plastic frames. It comes in different colors, is lightweight, and the optician can easily adjust it to your face.
  • TR90 is a tough but flexible plastic suitable for every face. It is a thermoplastic and anti-allergenic material for making prescription glasses. A product of Swiss technology, it is extremely durable, flexible, and light. If your glasses keep falling off, this is your choice. It’s also ideal for children's prescription frames.
  • β Titanium has great durability and toughness, and so light that the glasses weigh only ten grams. Usually, special dioptric lenses are used with materials such as polycarbonate, which are thin and very resistant to shocks and scratches, and extremely strong.

|  marker  | Lens material. Besides the frame material, the lenses are also very important for those who wear glasses. The material should provide very clear vision, without having difficulties, and additionally put pressure on the eyes. Some people prefer glass as a lens material and plastic. They both have advantages and disadvantages. For example, the glass is much heavier than the plastic but is more scratch-resistant. However, the choice is always yours. Spektrum glasses are made from two lens materials, as follows:

  • Polycarbonate was fist developed in 1970 for use in aviation, and was also used for the visors on astronauts' helmets and for the windows of the space shuttles. Polycarbonate spectacle lenses were introduced in the early 1980s to meet a need for ultra-light, impact-resistant glasses. Since then, polycarbonate glasses have become the standard for safety glasses for both adults and children. Because they are harder to break than ordinary glasses, the polycarbonate material is a perfect choice for rimless glasses, where the lenses are drilled or connected to the frame with screws.
  • Tritan copolyester is another excellent impact-resistant lens material. It is a very durable material, has hydrolytic stability, and is perfect for eyewear frames. Such glasses provide high-clarity lenses, heat resistance, toughness, chemical resistance, and more.

In addition to the lens and frame materials, you should buy frames that fit your face shape. Your glasses will be a part of your daily outfit, so why be boring? Spektrum glasses offer a variety of different glasses that will fit everyone’s needs, from simple to unusual crazy frames. They are all non-polarized and can block 100% of UVA and UVB.

Final thoughts

The lens and frame materials will affect your everyday comfort. It is very important to choose the best so you can wear your glasses without having the feeling that you are actually wearing them. Also, your glasses affect your whole look. Best buy blue light glasses of high quality, but fashionable and trendy at the same time.

1. Tähkämö L, Partonen T, Pesonen AK. Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm. Chronobiol Int. 2019 Feb;36(2):151-170. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2018.1527773. Epub 2018 Oct 12. PMID: 30311830.
2. Zhao, Z. C., Zhou, Y., Tan, G., & Li, J. (2018). Research progress about the effect and prevention of blue light on eyes. International journal of ophthalmology, 11(12), 1999–2003. https://doi.org/10.18240/ijo.2018.12.20
3. Tavares Fde P, Fernandes RS, Bernardes TF, Bonfioli AA, Soares EJ. Dry eye disease. Semin Ophthalmol. 2010 May;25(3):84-93. doi: 10.3109/08820538.2010.488568. PMID: 20590418.
4. Morris, B., Imrie, F., Armbrecht, A. M., & Dhillon, B. (2007). Age-related macular degeneration and recent developments: new hope for old eyes?. Postgraduate medical journal, 83(979), 301–307. https://doi.org/10.1136/pgmj.2006.052944NLMMorris B, Imrie F, Armbrecht AM, Dhillon B. Age-related macular degeneration and recent developments: new hope for old eyes? Postgrad Med J. 2007 May;83(979):301-7. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2006.052944. PMID: 17488857; PMCID: PMC2600068.
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