What Are Blue Light Glasses?

They are simply glasses that protect against blue light!

When you wear these glasses, you are less exposed to the dangers of blue light, which range from visual fatigue to sleep disturbances, migraines and the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

But how do these blue light glasses work?
Are they effective?
When should they be worn?

Here are some detailed explanations so that you finally know exactly what blue light glasses are!

Blue light glasses with tinted lenses

With their colored lenses, they are easily recognizable!

👉 These blue light glasses were the first to appear.

Equipped with amber, yellow, orange and sometimes even red lenses, they are clearly not the most discreet. Especially at work when you have to be in front of a computer! And that’s why nowadays, they’ve been put aside a little…

But on the other hand, they’re still very effective and that’s why they have been taken over by another category of people: the gamers!

Why such colorful glasses?

When we talk about blue light, we mean a small part of the visible light, whether natural or artificial. Simply put, it’s the blue and turquoise colors that can be seen on a rainbow!

This blue light is associated with a wavelength that is rather aggressive for our eyes because it’s very energetic and our eyes just don't know how to filter it. It doesn’t only have negative aspects and helps to regulate our circadian rhythm, for example.

But when you're overexposed to it, with the multiplication of time spent in front of the screens, it tends to provoke :

❌ Visual fatigue
❌ Sleep disturbances

And if warm colors have been chosen for the lenses of these blue light glasses, it’s because these are the colors that have the ability to effectively block this light.

✅ Blue light glasses with tinted lenses block up to 90% of blue light!

Why are blue light tinted glasses for gaming?

While the protection provided by tinted lenses is excellent, it’s quite disturbing on a daily basis. In particular because of the alteration of the perceived colors:

❌ Everything is warmer, including what you watch on your computer ...

On the other hand, because they offer a very effective protection, they’re still recommended for people who spend many hours in front of a screen and in a dimly lit environment. That's why they are perfect for gaming:

✅ They protect the eyes from blue light.
✅ They reduce visual fatigue to better concentrate.

These blue light glasses with tinted lenses can obviously be worn by anyone, but as we said, they are not very discreet. And besides, there’s now an more interesting alternative with the transparent blue light glasses!

Blue light glasses with transparent lenses

They look just like any pair of eyeglasses!

👉 These are the latest generation of blue light glasses, the ones that have been on the market for only a few years.

At first glance (and unlike blue light tinted glasses), absolutely no details can differentiate them from a classic pair of glasses, except perhaps a slight bluish reflection on the lenses when they are in full light.

They were in fact imagined from computer glasses that help relieve the eyes when you spend many hours on the computer.

How do computer glasses work?

We don't really realize it in everyday life, but the eyes have to adopt an intermediate vision when we’re in front of a computer:

❌ It’s not a near vison, like for a book.
❌ It’s not a far vision either.

This intermediate vision requires a lot of effort from the eye muscles, which generally explains the eye strain that can be felt at the end of the day!

Computer glasses have lenses that are neither for near nor far vision, let alone progressive lenses. They are simply lenses designed to offer optimal vision between 3 and 13 ft, the distance at which screens are usually located!

✅ When you wear these computer glasses, your eyes get less tired!

What else do blue light glasses have to offer?

If we were satisfied with computer glasses for a long time, it’s because we were not necessarily aware of the dangers of blue light, and in particular the sleep disorders it can cause.

The computer glasses have been improved to block some of that blue light!

The operation is very simple:

✅ An anti-reflective filter is placed on the lenses to eliminate all reflections, which can also contribute to visual fatigue.
✅ Another filter is also placed to block up to 40% of blue light.

As these filters are transparent, they don’t change the color of the lenses. This explains why blue light glasses look like any other glasses!

And even if the protection against blue light is lesser than with tinted lenses, it’s sufficient for work in front of the computer.

Conclusion: What are blue light glasses?

👍 Blue light glasses are devices that help protect our health!

They are useful both during the day and at night, as soon as you spend time in front of a computer screen. Whether they have transparent or tinted lenses, they block some of the blue light so that it doesn't reach the eyes.

And the benefits are very appreciable:

✅ Less visual fatigue
✅ Less headaches
✅ Less difficulty falling asleep
✅ Less insomnia

Blue light glasses are therefore the perfect solution to counter all the undesirable effects of overexposure to screens!