In a perfect world, you’d start to avoid blue light from screens four hours before bedtime.

Our bodies associate blue light with daytime, so being exposed to it when you’re trying to go to bed “pushes our internal clocks later so that it’s harder to fall asleep and harder to wake up in the morning,” says Cathy Goldstein, associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center. In the end, he says you don’t need to wear blue-light-blocking glasses during the day.īlue-light-blocking glasses can be useful at night, when blue light from screens can disrupt natural sleep patterns. If that doesn’t help, Khurana recommends artificial tears to help lubricate dry eyes. “Ultimately, I’m not really sure how it’s going to help with digital eye strain, which is what’s bothering people,” he says, explaining that the digital eye strain most people experience can occur “whenever you focus on anything - from reading a book, looking at a screen, or watching TV.” It can be alleviated by shifting your eyes every 20 minutes or so onto something that’s 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds, he says. That’s why Khurana doesn’t recommend any special eyewear for daily computer use. “We keep on thinking about blue light from our computers and smartphones, but the reality is that we get more exposure to blue light from the sun.” Essentially, it’s not the blue light that’s making your eyes feel bad after a day of staring at the computer it’s staring at a screen for hours without breaks. To find the most effective and stylish options, we scoured the internet and spoke with eye doctors about what they recommend and when to wear them.īest overall | Best with clear lenses | Most stylish tinted lenses | Best reading glasses | Best clip-ons | Best for kidsīlue-light-blocking capability: According to Rahul Khurana, an ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, digital eye strain and the negative effects of blue light on your eyes are two separate concerns. But if you can’t tear yourself away from Instagram or the dreaded doomscroll before you turn in for the night, blue-light-blocking glasses can help.

Though blue light isn’t the culprit for all digital eye strain, computer screens and our precious smartphones emit blue light that can shift your circadian rhythm, which is why it’s frequently recommended that you avoid too much screen time before sleeping.

As a result, a cottage industry of blue-light-filtering glasses has emerged.īlue-light-blocking glasses are designed to filter active blue light - the kind that promotes wakefulness - before it reaches our eyeballs. According to a survey by the Vision Council, a group that represents eyeglasses manufacturers, almost 60 percent of Americans experience some symptoms of digital eye strain due to extended time in front of the screen. If you’ve ever suffered from dry, irritated eyes after a long day of staring at your computer, perhaps you’ve been tempted to purchase a pair of blue-light-blocking glasses. Photo-Illustration: The Strategist Photos: Retailers

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