Blue Light Glasses

If you spend lots of time looking at digital devices, whether this is a computer screen, mobile phone or television, your eyes may be exposed to blue light. Blue light isn’t necessarily harmful to your eyes or vision; however, it can affect how well you sleep. Overexposure to digital devices can also cause digital eye strain and computer vision syndrome.

Blue light glasses block harmful blue light rays. This reduces their effects and helps to improve sleep. You can find out more about blue light and blue light blocking glasses below.

Effects of Blue Light

Blue light has a short wavelength and a high energy level. This means it can penetrate your eyes, passing through your cornea and lens to your retina, which is the lining at the back of your eye. It is thought over exposure to blue light can damage the retina, although there is little research to support this.

Blue light can however affect how well you sleep. It suppresses how well your body produces melatonin, the hormone which controls your sleep cycles. In the evening, melatonin signals to your body you need to sleep. However, overexposure to blue light means your body isn’t producing enough melatonin, which can trick your body into thinking you don’t need to sleep.

Sleep deprivation can cause fatigue and eye strain. In serious cases, it can also cause high blood pressure, diabetes and depression.

Lots of the damage thought to be caused by be blue light is often due to not blinking often enough. When we stare at digital devices for too long, you blink less often than usual. Blinking lubricates our eyes. When you don’t blink, they can become dry, irritated and cause headaches and eye strain.

Although digital devices do expose our eyes to blue light, this is much less than you are exposed to than by the sun.

Blue Light Filter

Glasses that block blue light are also known as computer glasses or screen protection glasses. The lenses in these glasses block blue light from penetrating your eyes. Often these lenses are blue reflection, which helps counterbalance the blue light rays.

Just like sunglasses block UV rays from harming your eyes, blue light lenses block blue light rays from penetrating your eyes through digital devices. This means you can continue to use digital devices, without this affecting how well your body produces melatonin and how well your sleep.

Our lenses with Anti-Reflection Plus Blue have all the benefits of our standard Plus coating, along with enhanced scratch resistance and anti-static technology which means the lenses attract less dust.

Benefits

• Enhanced scratch resistance

• Easy to clean

• Water and oil repellent

Other ways to reduce blue light

As well as blue light glasses, there are other ways you can reduce exposure to blue light. Reducing how much time you spend looking at screens and taking regular breaks is effective, especially during night, when your body produces melatonin to tell your body to sleep. For more tips on managing exposure to blue light and digital devices, you can see our self-care when working from home guide, as well as our guide on blue light glasses for children.

If you’re worried digital devices have affected your vision, you can talk to us in store or come in for an eye test. We also have a variety of lens options for you to choose from.

Blue Light Glasses for Children

With digital devices playing a bigger part in children’s education, it’s important you protect their eyes from digital devices.

What are gaming glasses?

Gaming glasses are said to reduce eye strain, headaches and blurred vision. Read our blog to see how else you can look after your eyes when playing video games.