If you work on a computer all day or have a teenager constantly on their phone, you’re likely to have heard of ‘blue light’ and maybe even searched for advice on protecting against it.

Enter blue light glasses.

Blue light glasses have recently been on the rise in popularity due to claims that they can protect your eyes against potential damage from blue light sources. But in reality, how effective are they? And what affect are they having on your eyes?

Here, we’re going to go through the long and short of blue light and blue light protection.

What is Blue Light?

Sunlight is a spectrum of the different colours of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), each with a different wavelength and energy level. When this spectrum is combined, we call it ‘white light’, ‘visible light’, or sunlight.

Levels of blue light are emitted from a range of light sources, including the sun itself.

In recent years there has been an increase in man-made sources of blue light, most notably digital screens. Although screens emit only a fraction of blue light to what is emitted by the sun, the time spent with screens and close proximity to them has caused concern about potential long-term effects.

What is the Effect of Blue Light on Your Eyes?

Due to the short wavelength of blue light, it penetrates your eyes very easily. Blue light passes through the cornea and lens to the retina, some experts have suggested that too much exposure to blue light has the potential to damage the light-sensitive cells in the retina.

However, research has found that the level of blue light exposure from screens is significantly lower than that from sunlight. It’s also important to note that neither levels approach eye safety limits.

Overall, this means that blue light damage caused from digital screens will be very little, if any at all.

There is an argument to be made that blue light affects how well you sleep. Blue light suppresses how well your body produces melatonin – the hormone which controls your sleep cycles. If you’re not producing enough melatonin, you are able to trick your body into thinking you don’t need sleep.

But blue light glasses can help this by, wearing blue light glasses in the evening can help maintain your natural sleep-wake cycle by minimising melatonin disruption, allowing for a more restful night’s sleep.

What are Blue Light Glasses and Do They Work?

The lenses in blue light glasses are made with a subtle tint which counterbalances and filters blue light. They filter blue light in the same way in which sunglasses filter UV rays.

Preventive Measure

While the evidence is still developing, blue light glasses could serve as a preventive measure to protect your eyes from potential long-term damage caused by excessive blue light exposure.

Some people find that blue light glasses are softer on their eyes, which offers them more comfort when using devices for long periods of time.

Additionally, blue light can be mistaken for causing eye strain.

Instead, eye strain can occur for multiple reasons:

• Too long looking at a screen
• Too close to the screen
• Light reflection and glare off screens

To learn more about eye strain/fatigue and how to combat it you can read our blog here

Who Should Consider Blue Light Glasses?

Anyone who spends a significant amount of time in front of screens should consider blue light glasses. This includes:

Office Workers: If your job requires you to be on the computer for most of the day, blue light glasses can help mitigate the effects of prolonged screen time.

Students: With online learning becoming more prevalent, students are increasingly at risk of digital eye strain, making blue light glasses a wise investment.

Gamers: Long gaming sessions can lead to significant blue light exposure, making blue light glasses beneficial for avid gamers.

Night Owls: If you often use digital devices late into the night, blue light glasses can help protect your sleep quality.

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