Considering a pair of blue light glasses? Let’s see what the science says.
Lab and animal testing found that visible light with shorter wavelengths of 400 to 500 nm (i.e. responsible for the colors violet and blue) can damage your eye (1-5). It was also suggested that this ‘blue light’ could cause eye strain and impact our sleep cycle (1,6,7). The main source of blue light is the sun a.k.a daylight, but LED lights, which are used in our house and to backlit our screens, also emit blue light (1,8).
Companies saw an opportunity and started to advertise and sell these blue-light filtering glasses as a tool to reduce eye damage and eye fatigue (9). However, while concerns about the potential harm of blue light on our eyes are valid, the effectiveness of blue-light filtering glasses in mitigating these effects in humans is still inconclusive (1,10-17).
Discuss with your optometrist about their cost and the limited evidence regarding their benefits before buying any blue-light filtering glasses.
Share our original Tweet!
Are blue light blocking glasses worth your money? And what is the deal with blue light anyway? Can it really damage your eyes and disrupt sleep patterns?
— ScienceUpFirst | LaScienced'Abord (@ScienceUpFirst) January 11, 2024
All of it is answered here 👇 https://t.co/lUDy88Jann#ScienceUpFirst pic.twitter.com/Lcpf28ruBd
View our original Instagram Post!
View this post on Instagram
- Blue‐light filtering ophthalmic lenses: to prescribe, or not to prescribe?
- Damage of photoreceptor-derived cells in culture induced by light emitting diode-derived blue light
- Retinal Damage by Light in Rats
- Photocytotoxicity of lipofuscin in human retinal pigment epithelial cells
- Colour – Visible Spectrum, Wavelengths, Hues
- A tint to reduce eye-strain from fluorescent lighting? Preliminary observations
- Attenuation of short wavelengths alters sleep and the ipRGC pupil response
- Low-energy light bulbs, computers, tablets and the blue light hazard
- BBC’s Watchdog investigates blue light
- The effect of blue-light blocking spectacle lenses on visual performance, macular health and the sleep-wake cycle: a systematic review of the literature
- A double-blind test of blue-blocking filters on symptoms of digital eye strain
- Blue-blocking Filters and Digital Eyestrain
- Do Blue-blocking Lenses Reduce Eye Strain From Extended Screen Time? A Double-Masked Randomized Controlled Trial
- Short-Wavelength Light-Blocking Eyeglasses Attenuate Symptoms of Eye Fatigue
- Effects of a blue-blocking screen filter on accommodative accuracy and visual discomfort
- Management of digital eye strain
- Blue‐light filtering intraocular lenses (IOLs) for protecting macular health
