Blue light glasses have taken the internet by storm with every influencer recommending these protective lenses claiming they reduce the negative symptoms caused by too much cell phone and laptop usage throughout the day. As a chronic sufferer of tired eyes, brutal headaches, and restless sleep, I thought I would give blue light glasses a try.
For three months I have consistently worn blue light glasses throughout the most blue light-heavy parts of my day. These times include: when I’m doing homework, when I’m at work, while I am editing this very paper, and of course, while I’m doom scrolling. I purchased my blue light glasses from Amazon for around $13.
My initial thought was, “no way a pair of $13 plastic glasses could actually improve my health.” In fact, most research points to the conclusion that blue light glasses do absolutely nothing. “This systematic review found that blue-light filtering spectacle lenses may not attenuate symptoms of eye strain with computer use, over a short-term follow-up period, compared to non-blue-light filtering lenses,” found the research study, “Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults” published in 2023 by Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The study also found no connection between blue light lenses and sleep quality or overall health.
With all the being said, I do think my $13 went to good use. To start, I have experienced way less headaches since using my glasses. Prior to wearing these lenses, I would start developing a headache most days of the work week at around 5 o’clock in the evening. These headaches would get increasingly worse and would only cease after I woke up the following morning.
Since wearing my glasses, I now only get headaches around one to two times a week, usually the days I use my computer and cell phone a profuse amount. Though, I do find that screen breaks are the only treatment for breaking up a headache that’s on the verge of beginning.
In terms of sleep quality, I found that I’m sleeping more consistent hours each night (around 8-9 hours) and typically sleep through the entire night. I’d like to credit this to using my blue light glasses when doing my homework and scrolling on my phone before bed, but alias, that may not be the case.
In general, I’ve been trying to limit electronic usage about an hour before bed, not just because of the blue light, but because social media tends to make me anxious. Scrolling on Instagram reels nowadays is like seeing a highlight reel of the world’s worst moments. Further, my better sleep could be due to using my blue light glasses in the evening, or it could be because of my attempt to limit media consumption at the end of the day.
Lastly, I experience less eye strain using my laptop if I am wearing these glasses. When writing news stories, essays, or other pieces of media, I make sure to put on my glasses. When I do, I swear I can look at my computer for longer, without my eyes getting tired. As for my cell phone, I never really experience eye strain when using my iPhone, so I can’t say my glasses have made a difference there.
Now, could my experience be the result of some extraneous variable? (I have been trying to eat healthier and drink more water.) In short – maybe.
I already explained that there is no scientific evidence to back up the idea that blue light glasses improve health, but what about the phenomenon of placebo effects? Ben Frumin, Editor-In-Chief of Wirecutter, “The New York Times” division of product reviews, wrote an article entitled “Even If My Blue-Light Blocking Glasses Are a Placebo, I at Least Like How They Look,” about just that. Frumin also admits that the symptom relief blue light glasses provide could be a placebo effect, but finishes the article by stating, “But I like the way they make me look. And I like the way they make my eyes feel when I look at a screen. And in the end, that’s enough.” I personally could not agree more.
