What Are Blue Light Glasses, and Should I Wear Them?
Today, people are feeling much more tired and sleepy, because they are spending many hours looking at digital screens and don't get enough quality sleep. Blue light can disrupt our circadian rhythms, causing eyestrain, headaches, and many more symptoms, blue light glasses are recommended to improve certain conditions. Computer glasses that block blue light can have a positive effect on your metabolism, focus, appetite, and much more.
What are blue light glasses?
Blue light glasses are a special type of glasses that can block or filter the blue light emitted from digital screens. If you regularly deal with problems such as eye strain, blurred vision, headaches, and sleep problems that you believe may be related to overexposure to blue light, wearing computer glasses can be worth considering.
Blue light has short wavelengths1, which means it has a very high energy level. These are wavelengths of light of between 420 and 480 nanometers on the spectrum of visible light. Although it generally has a bad reputation, blue light also has some advantages, such as creating a sense of alertness. The natural source of blue light is the sun, but digital devices also contribute to the amount of blue light that reaches our eyes every day. Digital devices that emit harmful blue light include TVs, smartphones, laptops, and tablets, which many teenagers and adults now report spending more hours using every day.
How do blue light glasses work?
Blue light glasses are most often used at night to block the blue light emitted by devices that causes poor quality of sleep. Wearing them will additionally help to reduce eyestrain2, and headaches, and enable you to be more focused on your daily tasks, especially if you spend more than four hours in front of your device each day. Too much exposure to harmful blue light can suppress the natural production of the hormone melatonin, which has negative effects on sleep. Therefore, it is believed that too much exposure at night can keep you awake and disrupt your natural sleep–wake cycle. Wearing blue light blocking glasses is a way of preventing sleep dysfunction and possibly protecting your eyes.
Why wear blue light glasses?
Many people report having experience with blue light blocking glasses. Computer glasses have specially designed lenses for computer work, which eliminate the unwanted effect of blue light and screen reflections, which enables a more comfortable and relaxed look, without eyestrain. The use of blue light blocking glasses prevents and eliminates problems caused by long-term use of digital devices, such as:
- fatigue and red eyes;
- dryness (irritation);
- eye strain and blurred vision;
- headaches;
- poor sleeping habits and insomnia, especially difficulty falling asleep;
- poor vision, attention, and focus.
Is it okay to wear blue light blocking glasses all the time?
This may not be necessary, but it should not be harmful. Some people find that wearing glasses while working helps their eyes feel better and allows them to work more comfortably for longer. If you’ve spent a few hours on your favorite device, especially during the day when you are exposed to the natural source of blue light, it’s probably not a problem to skip them. Exposure to natural blue light during the day, which is from the sun, is useful for regulating your memory and improving your mood. Therefore, don't worry about going outside without your blue light glasses.
Generally speaking, the best time to wear computer glasses is right before bedtime. Also, if you are working from home and spend more than four or five hours in front of your digital device, you should wear them so that your eyes feel less strained, have more attention, and can focus better.
Computer vision syndrome
Computer vision syndrome3 cannot be attributed to pathology; it is more a negative eye condition whereby a person notices eye fatigue and headache, then pain in the neck and back, but also double-vision and occasionally blurred vision, unpleasant sensations, and more. It usually occurs when the period of continuous looking at the screen extends beyond five or six hours. The danger of computer eye syndrome lies in the fact that people do not take it seriously and do not make regular visits to the eye doctor.
Many people notice a temporary worsening of their eyesight, especially during working or before bedtime. As a result, the person is at risk of more complex consequences. For example, computer syndrome can cause pain in the spine and neck, the nervous system, digestive organs, the heart, and blood vessels.
The syndrome can cause poor productivity in adults and children with learning disabilities. Children are affected from an early age because they also spend hours in front of digital devices playing games on the computer, tablets, or phones. In today’s world, more and more children are short-sighted because they spend too much time in front of the screen.
Blue glasses, as well as eye drops that retain moisture, can be helpful for such disorders. Preventative measures are also very important. Your computer monitor should be placed at a distance equal to the length of your arm, directly in front of you, not to the side. It is important to blink regularly while working on your computer and take short breaks every 15 minutes or so to relax the eye muscles.
Final thoughts
We live in a digital world, and people are spending an average of six hours a day in front of a digital device. Sitting in front of a computer all day can cause computer vision syndrome, which includes blurred vision, headache, dry eyes, and myopia. But you do not have to completely turn off the digital devices around you to protect yourself from these side effects. That’s why blue light glasses are a great choice for you and will definitely help you.
1.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
2. Butzon SP, Sheedy JE, Nilsen E. The efficacy of computer glasses in reduction of computer worker symptoms. Optometry. 2002 Apr;73(4):221-30. PMID: 12365690.
3. Blehm C, Vishnu S, Khattak A, Mitra S, Yee RW. Computer vision syndrome: a review. Surv Ophthalmol. 2005 May-Jun;50(3):253-62. doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2005.02.008. PMID: 15850814.