Blue Light Glasses: Score or Scam?

It’s 3 PM on a Wednesday. Your eyes are glazing over, making it all the more difficult to focus on the spreadsheet you’re working on. You’ve been staring at your computer screen since 9 AM, and you’ll continue to do so until your shift ends at 5. Then, you’ll unwind by FaceTiming a friend and binging Bridgerton on Netflix. This is your routine 5 days a week, and there’s no end in sight.

Adults spend an average of 13.5 hours looking at a screen each day, according to Vision Direct. This number increases to 16.5 hours for gamers. It’s no wonder that more and more adults are experiencing symptoms of “screen fatigue”, which include “headache, eye strain, eye watering, eye redness and blurred vision,” as outlined by Forbes.

In an attempt to curb these issues, many people are turning to blue light glasses—frames that are made with special lenses designed to block out the short wavelengths emitted from screens. The market for these glasses was valued at $19 million in 2020, and MarketWatch expects this figure to hit $28 million by 2024.

But do they really work?

Brands that sell the glasses claim that wearers may experience less eyestrain, fewer headaches, improved sleep quality, and a decreased likelihood of developing diseases like Macular Degeneration. But not all medical professionals are convinced.

While there is no doubt that overexposure to device screens is harmful, some believe that the resulting issues are not caused by blue light. Afterall, the sun emits blue light as well. Phillip Yuhas, a professor of optometry at Ohio State University, explains this in an article published by The Conversation. Yuhas writes, “On a sunny afternoon, it’s nearly 100,000 times brighter than your computer screen. Yet, few human studies have found any link between sunlight exposure and the development of age-related macular degeneration, a retinal disease that leads to loss of central vision.” Yuhas also points out that most blue-blockers on the market only filter out around 15% of blue light from devices, which is a reduction equivalent to holding your phone one inch further from your face.

Dr. Bell, an eye doctor from Cody, Wyoming, explains that while they are not a cure-all, they are by no means harmful. He says, “Our natural cornea and lenses block nearly all harmful light rays, but we actually see a little sharper by blocking it. Even then, I love my kids, and I do not have them wearing blue blockers. They do wear sunglasses, especially on snow, and I try to have them turn off their screens several hours before sleep.”

The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the College of Optometrists have simply concluded that not enough research has been conducted on blue light glasses to determine if they are effective.

Lauren Esposito, a college student from Long Island, N.Y., agrees that the glasses are not worth the hype. Lauren explains, “My general practitioner prescribed them to me when I said I was getting headaches regularly and had eye fatigue, and we established that my eyes were very dry. She said that the size and shape of a certain part of my eye takes in too much light and that was most likely why I was experiencing those things. Then she told me to try out a cheap pair of blue light glasses.”

Later on, Lauren spoke to her eye doctor about her frames, and she prescribed her what she believed to be a more effective pair. “She basically told me to throw them on whenever I have a light from an electronic source close to my face, so my phone, an iPad, a laptop—things like that,” Lauren says. “But for things that are farther away, it’s not going to do much.”

Unfortunately, Lauren found that her glasses didn’t make much of a difference at all. “Since wearing them, I have noticed zero difference. I actually think they make it worse for me because if you don’t keep the lenses pristine clean, then you’re looking through blurriness and dirt, and that just makes my headaches and eye fatigue worse. The coating on the lenses gets dirty easily, and it’s almost impossible to keep them clean, so I have kind of given up on them recently.”

If the jury is still out on whether or not blue light glasses are worth the purchase, then what can be done to prevent the screen fatigue that so many are facing?

The American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests utilizing the 20-20-20 rule, or looking at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes for at least 20 seconds to give your eyes a break. Experts also recommend limiting device usage before going to bed to improve sleep quality.

So, no, you probably don’t need to splurge on blue light glasses. But if you’re in the market for a fun pair of faux frames, then you may as well give them a whirl.

Now stop reading web articles so you can give your poor eyes a break.