Do glasses with blue filter work as how they claim to do so? This article seeks to discover the truth behind these lenses and if they are worth the extra bucks and all the hype they have been getting for the past year.
If your eyes ever felt tired and dry after spending the whole day staring at the screen of your computer, don’t worry because you are not the only one facing this predicament.
Putting on blue light glasses might seem like the best remedy for this. However, there are some claims that there was very little evidence to back up the use of these blue-blocking filters when it comes to preventing digital eye strain.
As you might already know by now, blue light can compromise your sleep schedule as this can mess with your natural circadian rhythm, or that internal clock in your body that tells you when it is time to wake up or sleep. If you are suffering from insomnia or you often love to scroll through your smartphone in the middle of the night, blue light glasses may be the best choice for you.
But with most people no longer able to escape from the use of their phones, tablets, and computers in their day to day lives, how should you handle and deal with digital screens and their negative effects?
Read on below to learn more about blue light glasses as well as the different ways of preventing digital eye strain.
Table of Contents
Blue Light Glasses at a Glance
Blue light blocking glasses feature specialty crafted lenses that claim to filter or block out the blue light that comes from digital screens. Their lenses are usually advertised with some lofty claims of protecting your eyes from eye strain and helping reduce potential damages to your retina from extended exposure to blue light.
Glasses with blue filterare among the hottest trends in eyewear
Will Glasses with Blue Filter Solve Eye Strain?
This may come as a surprise to you but most eye problems due to digital screens are not really because of the blue light itself.
According to experts, most people suffer from eye discomfort from the digital screens. However, many of the problems actually belong to the term called CVS or computer vision syndrome. It is also sometimes called digital eye strain. Among its symptoms include the following:
CVS is an extensive range of eye discomfort and strain problems. Your eyes constantly shift focus and move as you look at the screen. Aside from this, the contrast and glare might prove to be too much for your eyes. This means that even if you might be suffering from eye irritation from a long and tiring day at work in front of your computer, the blue light itself might not be the direct cause of your eye discomfort.
Every time you stare at your digital device or screen for a long time, you don’t blink as often as you normally should, and this is what makes the cornea irritated and dry. If you have your eyes focused on something hat is close up, such as a screen or a book, your eyes will become contracted and strained, and this is what leads to eye discomfort. However, your eyes can relax when you try looking ahead to a certain distant object.
Is Wearing Blue Light Glasses a Bad Idea?
Even if blue light glasses are not really that effective when it comes to warding off digital eye strain, wearing them wouldn’t cause you any harm. Experts also claim that it wouldn’t be harmful at all to wear these glasses throughout the day.
Glasses with blue filter are made with special blue light lenses designed to filter out blue light
Tips to Deal with Digital Eye Strain
Although glasses with blue filter may not really help, there are actually several things you can do to experience eye relief:
Practice and observe the 20-20-20 rule.
This rule dictates that you should look for 20 seconds at something that is 20 feet away from you every 20 minutes. When you look a further distance away, this breaks accommodation to force your eyes to relax. This can also help you blink again at the normal rate of your body.
Digital eye strain: How to prevent It and how to treat it
Sit away from the screen at an arm’s length.
Many people experience eye strain when sitting too close to the computer. Try to back up and increase the size of the font on the screen to improve readability.
Make sure that you sit at a comfortable distance of about 63 centimeters or 25 inches away from the screen.
Take advantage of artificial tears.
The use of eye drops all day long can help lubricate your eyes while working in front of the computer. Just remember that the regular artificial tears must not be used for over four times a day since the eyes might have some sensitivities to their preservative content. If ever you need to use them more frequently, you might want to switch to artificial tears free from preservatives.
Artificial tears are meant to be used as lotion or lip balm. Many people don’t really need at all but there are others who need to add these to their routine as necessary to feel more comfortable.
Wear glasses with light sensitivity.
If you have light sensitivity because of migraines as well as other light sensitive conditions, you might want to opt for an FL-41 tint that is a better choice than glasses with blue filter.
The FL-41 tint ranging from an amber-like color to pinkish color can filter out wavelengths of green and blue. These colors might be bothersome for patients who have light sensitivity. Photophobia is the medical term used to refer to light sensitivity and this is discovered as the most troublesome symptom for people with migraines.
There are different options for glasses for people with light sensitivity available at most optometrists and online at Crulle webstore. Although most insurances don’t cover FL-41, don’t be afraid to ask your provider.
Are glasses with blue filter a good investment, then? Yes, they might be if you find it hard to fall asleep and you are using your screens even late into the night.
