Are Blue Light Filtering Glasses Worth It

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Verywell Health / Simone Scully

If you're reading this, you're probably staring at a screen right now. Prison cell phones, computers, and televisions emit blue light, a type of lite on the color spectrum that is believed to interrupt sleep-wake cycles and crusade headaches. While blue low-cal from screens is not equally harmful equally UV light from the sun (thus the reason for a quality pair of UV-blocking sunglasses), people are turning towards blue low-cal blocking glasses to have preventative measures confronting its negative effects.

While there is no scientific evidence to evidence that bluish light blocking spectacles should be worn to improve macular health, there are plenty of online reviewers who rave about their positive affect from personal experiences. So if you notice yourself unable to fall comatose at nighttime or are regularly developing postal service-work headaches, you may just desire to try a pair of bluish light blocking glasses earlier you lot reach for medication. And when y'all shop for a pair, y'all should expect for an choice that offers multiple benefits or caters to the environment yous're in.

For case, if you discover yourself regularly working both indoors and outdoors, information technology's also important to take UV exposure into account.

"You should brand sure your blue light blocking glasses have UV protection to shield you from the lord's day's harmful rays," advises Brad Brocwell, optometrist and vice president of clinical operations for Now Optics.

We researched dozens of bluish light blocking glasses and evaluated them for reviews, designs, fit, pricing, additional accessories, and blue light absorption levels. Each of the glasses chosen in this commodity was determined to be the best of these factors. We too did a comprehensive testing review on the Felix Gray Turing blue low-cal blocking glasses.

Here are the best blue calorie-free blocking glasses on the market for every type of wearer.

Pros

Lightweight plastic construction
Anti-reflective lenses
Affordable
Comfortable

Cons

Unclear how much blue low-cal they block
Finding correct magnification can be challenging

Gamma Ray Optics' UV Glare Blue Lite Blocking Glasses are perfect for anyone looking for an introductory pair. They're made entirely of plastic (both the frames and lenses), which makes them lightweight and durable.

The anti-reflective lenses are perfect for any video calls, and reviewers rave well-nigh their power to reduce center strain from extended screen apply. Some even said they constitute some relief from dry, itchy eyes. If y'all're prone to dry optics, avoiding blueish low-cal might improve your symptoms. Enquiry suggests that blue lite might exist harmful to people who have dry out eyes due to poor tear film.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly pair of blue light blocking glasses to beginning with, these are the perfect contender.

Frame Material: Nylon | Blue Light Absorption: Not specified | Lens Color: Low-cal bister

Pros

Clear lenses
Anti-glare
100% UVA/UVB blocking
Stylish

Cons

Modern style might non suit all faces

If you lot're going to wear your blue light blocking glasses to the role (or on Zoom calls), you probably want a pair that gives yous a clean, polished expect. Felix Gray's Turing Spectacles are the best of both worlds. They are both stylish and constructive and use filtering engineering science to eliminate up to l% of bluish light.

Frame Cloth: Organic acetate | Blueish Light Absorption: Up to 50% | Lens Color: Clear

Verywell Health / Simone Scully

What Our Testers Say

"Co-ordinate to the Felix Gray website, their slumber blue lite lenses are made to filter the range of blue lite that impacts melatonin secretion. After wearing the glasses for a niggling over two weeks, I felt like I slept a picayune meliorate. I also seemed to get fewer headaches after long piece of work nights writing at my computer—and so for that lone, they were definitely worth it for me. One thing to proceed in mind is that the glasses are on the frail side. If you lot live in a home with young children or yous program to commute with the glasses, it's definitely something you'll desire to continue in mind." — Simone Scully, Verywell writer and product tester

Pros

Lightweight
100% UVA/UVB protection
Durable polycarbonate lenses
Free shipping
30-day return policy

Cons

No product reviews available
Unclear how much blue calorie-free they block

If y'all prefer a wire frame, these Thurston frames from Warby Parker are your best bet. In add-on to being sparse and lightweight, they block up to 100% of harmful UVA and UVB rays. Thurston frames are durable and made of stainless steel and custom cellulose acetate, and so yous know you're investing in a quality pair of glasses. Need another reason to snag a pair? Warby Parker offers costless aircraft and a 30-day return policy, so yous can guarantee you're choosing the correct pair.

Frame Cloth: Stainless steel, cellulose acetate | Blue Light Absorption: Not specified | Lens Color: Articulate

Pros

No color distortion
Scratch-resistant lenses
Lightweight frame construction
Anti-cogitating
Affordable

Cons

Non much variety in frame shape
Not as high-quality as other lenses

These lenses from Readerest filter upward to 40% of harmful blue light rays and don't employ any colored filters that would misconstrue screen color, making them great for reading. These readers also offer protection from UVA and UVB rays and have anti-reflective lenses that eliminate glare and help you run into more conspicuously. Not merely do these highly-rated glasses aid to reduce eye strain, they also protect against ultraviolet radiation and UV 400. If you lot can't put that due east-book down, make sure you grab a pair of these first.

Frame Material: Non specified (probable plastic/polycarbonate) | Blue Light Assimilation: 40% | Lens Color: Clear

Pros

No colour baloney
Lifetime warranty
Multiple colors available
UV protection

Cons

Not easily adaptable
Only one shape offered (square)

Gamers, these bluish low-cal blocking glasses are for you. Not only do these highly-rated glasses help to reduce eye strain, they also protect against ultraviolet radiation and UV 400. Unlike some blue light blocking glasses with lens filters, these spectacles won't alter the color of your screens, then you can play your all-time.

With xx different styles available, there is a color and size available for everyone. These glasses guarantee a lifetime warranty, and their loftier ratings and positive reviews are a sign that these shades are worth it, particularly when information technology comes to gaming.

Frame Material: Non specified (likely plastic/polycarbonate) | Blue Light Assimilation: Up to 80% | Lens Colour: Clear

Pros

High percentage of blue light filtration
Multiple frame and lens options
Works for all purposes and users

Cons

Not every bit high quality as other lenses

Enquiry suggests that betwixt 27% and 35% of adults who apply bluish-light emitting devices feel signs of eye strain, including headaches and blurred vision. If yous sit in front of a screen all twenty-four hour period, you want to observe a pair that will be comfy enough to clothing from forenoon to night.

These glasses from J+S are perfect for all-day wear, as they block 90% of harmful blueish calorie-free, fit comfortably on your face up, and practise then stylishly. They come in a variety of styles, so you lot may even want to become more than than i pair, depending on where you habiliment them. Overall, reviewers say that these shades are perfect for whatsoever type of screen exposure and worth the price.

Frame Material: Not specified (probable plastic/polycarbonate) | Blue Light Absorption: Up to 90% | Lens Colour: Clear or amber

Pros

Offers blue light blocking and magnification
Pocket-sized, regular, and large sizes

Cons

Express colors and styles

If you lot're looking for a pair of glasses that gives you an actress boost (without a total prescription), we recommend these glasses from Prospek. These glasses have a variety magnification strengths, anywhere from 0.00 to 3.00, and come in a diverseness of colors and sizes.

Frame Material: Polycarbonate | Blueish Lite Assimilation: l% | Lens Color: Light amber

Pros

Expert option for digital tech users
Multiple magnification options available
Center-catching frame colors
Anti-reflective

Cons

Blocks less blue low-cal
Relatively large and heavy

If you spend your 24-hour interval reading from a laptop, tablet, or Kindle, you probably have experienced eye strain as a result. Inquiry has plant that people blink less when looking at digital screens, which leads to less moisture and greater eye strain.

Peepers reading spectacles are specifically designed with readers in mind, offering magnification strengths of 1x to 3x and absorbing 40% of harmful UV rays emitted from digital devices. Non only are practice they look great, but they too feature a 7-layer anti-cogitating blanket to minimize screen glare as you work.

Frame Material: Polycarbonate | Blue Light Absorption: xl% | Lens Color: Clear

Pros

Lightweight structure
Multiple color choices
Tin be ordered as prescription spectacles
Durable acetate frames

Cons

Standard lenses lack features

While Lens Direct's Emory Blue Light Blocking Glasses may come with a slightly larger price tag, they're worth every penny. These chic glasses are lightweight and fit comfortably on your face without pinching or squeezing your head. Their durable acetate frame flatters whatever face, and it comes in a handful of colors including crystal, tortoise, and navy blueish.

Lens Direct besides offers upgrades similar anti-cogitating and scratch-resistant coatings, so yous can brand sure your investment lasts. If you honey the fashion of these frames, you lot can also gild them with prescription lenses or as reading glasses.

Frame Material: Acetate | Blue Light Assimilation: Not specified | Lens Color: Clear

Pros

Designed to meliorate headaches and sleeplessness
Gratuitous returns and i-yr warranty
Comfortable construction for all-day wear

Cons

Only two colors/varieties
Limited product data online

If blue calorie-free is harming your REM cycle, you lot'll want to attempt these Blutech Center-Density Lenses, which are made for anyone who suffers from headaches or sleeplessness as a event of screen usage. The lenses filter out harmful wavelengths with their proprietary treatment, and their form-plumbing equipment way is comfy to habiliment all mean solar day long. The company offers gratuitous returns and a one-year warranty to make sure you have found the perfect spectacles.

Frame Material: Plastic | Blueish Calorie-free Absorption: Not specified | Lens Color: Articulate

Pros

Bright, child-friendly colors
Lots of adjustability
Durable lens and frame

Cons

Not much product information online
No product reviews available

Between remote learning, online homework, and social media, your little ones are getting their off-white share of blue light exposure. Protect their eyes with a pair of lenses that are perfect for them.

These adorable lenses from Yesglasses are an easy way to become your kids to keep their eyes rubber, cheers to their fun colors and form-fitting design. They feature 100% UVA and UVB protection with anti-cogitating and anti-scratch coatings.

Frame Material: Silicone and plastic | Blueish Light Absorption: Not specified | Lens Colour: Clear

Final Verdict

If y'all're wary virtually the concept of blue light glasses and are looking for a first pair that won't break the bank, Gamma Ray Blue Calorie-free Blocking Glasses (view at Amazon) are a corking place to first. But if style is your primary priority, y'all'll love the wait of the Felix Greyness Turing Glasses (view at Felix Gray).

Just remember that your body depends on being exposed to blueish light sources during the daytime to regulate its circadian rhythm, and then make sure non to wearable blue calorie-free blocking glasses for too long during the daytime hours (or at all, if you cull a darker style lens). If y'all only demand occasional relief from digital heart strain or piece of work in a job that requires yous to see a total range of color, yous should opt for articulate blue calorie-free blocking lenses; if you need more intense blue light blocking—for instance, to aid y'all sleep better at night or care for lite sensitivity atmospheric condition—y'all should opt for yellow or, in some cases, reddish lenses.

Ellen Lindner / Verywell

What to Expect for in Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses

Prescription Needs

If you already wear prescription spectacles, yous can yet employ blue light blocking applied science, merely not without investing in a new pair of specs, unfortunately. According to Vanessa Hernandez, optometrist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai in New York City, the blue light filters tin't be added to your lenses once they're made.

If you lot don't wear glasses full-time, you may be able to get away with ownership blue light blocking glasses to aid you lot at certain times of the twenty-four hour period (when y'all're not wearing your prescription ones). Only if you want more blue light blocking capabilities and don't have any plans to buy a new pair of eyeglasses, you'll take to try a dissimilar kind of product.

"Prune on [blueish lite blocking lens] options are available, though they are not made to fit every frame," says Hernandez. "There are filters you lot tin attach to estimator monitors for daytime use, or [you lot can] conform your device'due south settings to produce a warmer background instead of stark white background, especially when using devices at night or in a dark room."

Comfort

Just similar with whatever other pair of eyewear, whether they're prescription bifocals or trendy sunglasses, comfort is important when choosing the correct pair for you. If your glasses aren't comfortable on your face, you'll kickoff finding whatever reason not to clothing them, totally defeating the betoken of having them in the first place. Plus, sick-fitting spectacles can cause ear hurting, nose pain, and even headaches, and then you want to make sure yous have a secure fit. Keep these key points in mind near how glasses should feel when deciding on the correct ones:

Your glasses should fit snugly on your face—non besides tightly, and non besides loosely. You should be able to motion your head from side to side without them falling off or putting force per unit area on your ears or nose.
Your spectacles shouldn't repeatedly slide down your nose, especially when you lot look down, and the frames shouldn't make contact with your forehead, cheeks, or the sides of your confront (near your temples).
Y'all may notice a subtle headache in the first few days of wearing new prescription glasses, but information technology shouldn't persist or be severe. If you continue having headaches, notice your vision looks blurry, or feel unsteady (similar you accept vertigo) when wearing your glasses, something may be wrong with your prescription.

Whatsoever new pair of glasses volition demand a brusk adjustment period, simply ideally, you should start being able to put your spectacles on and forget they're even there after a few days of regular use. If this isn't the case, call your doctor for communication.

Anti-Glare Engineering

If y'all're considering a pair of blue light glasses, you may desire to make certain the lenses besides include an anti-glare or anti-reflective coating—otherwise, y'all may find your headaches or digital middle strain continues to persist.

"Anti-reflective backdrop reduce glare and reflections off the surface of your lenses, which is beneficial when using a computer or mobile device," says Dr. Brocwell.

Many prescription lenses come with the anti-glare selection, but if you've never worn spectacles before, y'all may not realize how much of a deviation this feature can make, especially if you lot're constantly looking at a glowing screen all twenty-four hour period. Without the coating, your screens can cast distracting reflections off the surface of your glasses, often obscuring your vision.

Daytime or Nighttime Use

Different blue lite blocking lenses are recommended for employ at different times of the day. "Bogus blue light may contribute to digital eye strain and impact your sleep cycle," explains Dr. Hernandez. Since your body still needs to exist exposed to blue calorie-free during the daytime hours to preserve your circadian rhythm, clear or yellow lenses are better for daytime use, says Dr. Hernandez.

If you're struggling with insomnia or using your laptop or smartphone belatedly into the evening hours, on the other hand, you may want to cull darker lenses. Red lenses actually block 100% of blue light forth with most all green and violet light, which means they block all varieties of light that may be disruptive to your sleep cycle and may help you fall asleep faster if you wear them a few hours before bedtime.

UV Protection

The lord's day's ultra-bright rays tin crusade damage if we expose ourselves to them for likewise long or as well ofttimes without protection. Just like you would never spend a day at the embankment without putting on some SPF, you shouldn't spend lots of time outdoors without protecting your delicate eyesight, explains Dr. Brocwell.

If you're simply planning to utilize your glasses indoors, at your computer, this isn't a necessary feature, only it'southward one that shouldn't exist overlooked if you're buying blue lite blocking sunglasses or adding blue light blocking applied science to your prescription eyewear.

Verywell / Simone Scully

Often Asked Questions

Can you clothing blue lite blocking glasses outside?

You tin can, although you lot may non find them as comfortable outdoors (specially if the lenses are clear). Some users study glare or reflectiveness when information technology's sunny outside.

It'southward besides important to keep in listen that your trunk requires some bluish lite to function properly. Information technology's when you lot get besides much from "unnatural" sources like digital screens, that you come across trouble. It'due south smart to have a break from your blue calorie-free glasses sometimes, including when you go outdoors—and this is specially true if you clothing darker tinted blue light blocking lenses, similar orange-tinted ones (which block more blue lite than clear lenses).
How do blue light blocking glasses work?

Lenses that cake blue light are coated with a tinted film or made with tinted layers built into the frame; these layers are usually some shade of yellow, which allows the lens to filter out some of the blue low-cal emitted from digital screens.

All blueish light blocking lenses are made with varying shades of xanthous and filter out dissimilar percentages of blueish low-cal. Make sure yous read nigh the features and specs of any glasses you plan to buy and then they volition fit your needs.
Do prescription spectacles block blue low-cal?

Not on their own—yous need to choose to take blueish light blocking capabilities built into your prescription lenses. Many online and in-person stores offer this, but it isn't automatic, and information technology'southward usually an actress charge.

Verywell / Sarah Bradley

What the Experts Say

"[Bluish light blocking glasses] come up in varying degrees of tint, from clear to amber, with clear blocking the least amount and amber blocking the virtually blueish low-cal. It is non necessary to block out all blue light and the degree of tint is based on individual preference."—Vanessa Hernandez, optometrist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai in New York City

Why Trust Verywell Health?

Christina Oehler is a commerce editor for Verywell Health. She has an RYT-200 (Registered Yoga Teacher, 200-hour) certification and is a seasoned health author who'southward published dozens of articles on fettle, dazzler, and health. She's dedicated to learning and sharing the latest health data and technology to assist people alive healthier, happier lives.

Additional reporting for this story was contributed by Sarah Bradley.

Sarah Bradley has been writing health content since 2017—everything from product roundups and illness FAQs to diet explainers and the dish on diet trends. She knows how important it is to receive trustworthy and expert-approved communication almost over-the-counter products that manage everyday health weather condition, from GI issues and allergies to chronic headaches and joint pain.