Blue Light Glasses – Pros and Cons

If influencers say blue light glasses are good to minimise digital eye strain then scientists feel it is just overhyped.  

Confused due to 2 different perceptions?

The drastically increased use of digital devices has led to the emergence of blue light glasses or computer glasses. If anything looks like a problem, we humans strive to find out a solution for it, blue light glasses have been cropped up as a solution for digital eye strain that’s caused due to excessive screen time. 

As it is always said nothing is perfect in this world, everything comes with pros and cons. Blue light glasses also has its pros and cons. First, let’s understand what are blue light glasses:

Blue Light and Blue Light Glasses?

To be honest, blue light is everywhere around us. The sun is said to be the natural source of blue light while digital devices like computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, televisions are artificial sources of blue light. 

Though the blue light emitted from the sun is much more dangerous than that emitted from digital devices but still, it does not harm human eyes much as we do not constantly stare at the sun. However, when it comes to digital screens, we are much more glued to it and hence blue light emitted from these devices turns out to be harmful.

Prolonged exposure to blue light leads to digital eye strain and can also result in vision damage. Hence blue light glasses were introduced. These glasses are designed with a special coating that blocks the harmful blue light from entering the eyes and eliminates eye strain. 

Pros of Blue Light Glasses

Blue light coating glasses can actually be of assistance in reducing eye strain. 

• The special filter reduces the amount of blue light exhibited from the digital screens and lessens the negative effect of blue light exposure. So wearing these glasses while spending time on digital devices is safe.
• Blue light glasses also eliminate blurred vision or red eyes that are caused due to prolonged screen time.
• The bright blue light disturbs the sleep pattern. When you use digital devices at night, the circadian rhythm gets affected. The light tricks the body by making it feel it’s still day. The blue light filter makes sure, your eyes stay protected during the evening or dark hours and you can sleep better.

You can simply opt for computer glasses that comes with no prescription or get blue block coating applied to your prescription glasses. 

Cons of Blue Light Glasses

One of the main drawbacks of blue light glasses is an alteration in color perception.  

• Since blue light glasses are yellow-tinted, you can notice a difference in colour perception. Whatever you see appears in a different colour. Especially if you use Instagram or are watching a movie, it will be difficult for you to witness true colours with blue light glasses.
• Wearing blue light glasses makes everything appear in yellow tint, hence it also causes difficulty in reading.
• Blue light glasses are also said to cause scotopic vision loss.

There are no proven results on how blue light glasses have benefitted the wearer but there also no results showing how blue light glasses have negatively affected the wearer. So if you are likely to spend more screen time, it is better to consult an eye doctor and aks for an effective solution to reduce digital eye strain.