With increasingly more people spending much of their day looking at some sort of screen, be it a computer, smartphone, or tablet, eye strain has become a major problem the world over. Trying to focus on a screen for a long period of time can lead to tired eyes, headache, and even interrupted sleep patterns. So, is there anything available today that can help to minimize this impact of excessive screen use? Well, according to many retailers, blue light glasses are the perfect solution. But is this a gimmick or do these glasses actually work as intended? 

How Does Screen Time Cause Eye Strain and Other Problems? 

Before we look at a solution for eye strain, let us look at how staring at a computer screen for too long can cause these problems in the first place. Electronic devices that use LEDs, such as the above-mentioned computer screens, smartphones, and tablets all emit blue light, which is one of the visible colors on the light spectrum. 

As too much blue light from the sun can cause harm to the eyes, studies are ongoing as to whether blue light from electronic devices can also cause the same harm. With more people spending their hours in front of screens nowadays, there are higher reports of people suffering dry eyes, blurred vision, and eye fatigue. 

Since most of us will tend to blink less often when watching screens, eyes can become drier. We also need to focus harder on small screens found on smartphones and tablets, which makes our eyes worker much harder. And, when you consider that most people do not place their computer screens at an ideal height or distance from their eyes, it is easy to see why many are now struggling. 

Blue light is not only emitted from the sun, but it is also found in light bulbs. So it is all around us. Blue light helps to keep us awake and alert during the day, but excessive exposure can cause sleep issues. This is why many experts recommend avoiding the use mobile devices in the hour or two before sleep.

Although there is a lot of concern about blue light and damage to the eyes, there is currently no scientific evidence that blue light from digital devices is causing harm to the eyes. That being said, many people are not willing to take the chance and so prefer to wear blue light glasses.

What Do Blue Light Glasses Do? 

Blue light glasses are designed to limit the amount of blue light reaching the eyes from screens. The lenses are tinted to ensure that more green and red light is allowed in while the blue light is reflected away from the eye. Nevertheless, most blue light glasses will not be capable of blocking all blue light. 

If you have ever worn blue light glasses, you might have noticed that everything seems to have a yellowish tint to it. This is due to the combination of green and red light that you see. Moreover, as we need both blue and yellow light to stay alert during the day, it is probably best to use blue light glasses only in the evening. 

You can buy blue light glasses from many physical and online stores, with companies such as Olympic Eyewear supplying discount sunglasses and wholesale clear lens glasses to retailers throughout the U.S. While there is no hard evidence that blue light glasses help to combat eye strain, they can help to block some of the blue light emitted from digital devices. This is particularly useful in the evening to help improve sleep patterns.