What are the best computer glasses? Is it really worth buying blue light glasses to protect us from digital screens and LED lamps?
In addition, it is very likely that you have any of these symptoms if you spend many hours in front of the computer, tablet and/or smartphone screens:
- Tired eyes.
- Itchy eyes and/or eye irritation.
- Eye discomfort and dryness.
- Blurry vision.
- Headaches.
Well, the first thing JLR Eye Hospital wants to tell is that if you notice some of them, it is almost certain that you are suffering from the increasingly famous digital eyestrain.
Today, we are going to brief you about which are the best computer glasses because it is important that you know the different types of blue light filters in glasses that exist so that you can see if they are appropriate for your case or not.
Why use computer glasses and how do they work?
Once we are clear that we must protect our eyes and our health from overexposure to blue light, the first step is to reduce the peak of blue light emitted by digital screens.
Using computer glasses with blue light filters you can reduce this blue light peak by between 20 and 30%. And with yellow/orange blue light glasses it can be reduced by up to 90%.
The biggest drawback is that blue light glasses have an inflexible and non-adjustable filter, so no matter where you are and what time it is they will filter exactly the same when you really only need it for certain activities.
That is why wearing anti-blue light glasses is not the ideal option if you use the same glasses all day to be in front of the computer, walk down the street, drive at night, etc.
Differences between anti-reflective treatment and blue light filters
It is important that you know that a blue light filter and an anti-reflective treatment have hardly anything to do with each other since they seek opposite effects. Of course, both options can be combined and in fact, it would be ideal.
The anti-reflective treatment seeks to achieve maximum transparency to avoid reflections. The anti-blue light or blue block treatment seeks to reflect blue light.
For this reason, external computer glasses treatments produce a bluish or purple reflection that is sometimes unattractive and can be a bit annoying.
Types of computer glasses
There are 4 main types of computer glasses:
- Computer glasses with a blue light filter on the surface.
- Blue light glasses with filter in their mass but without colour.
- Computer glasses with a colourless filter in their mass and a blue filter on their surface.
- Blue light glasses of yellow/orange colours.
Blue light glasses with filters on their surface
The visual sensation can be very different between choosing computer glasses with a low-quality filter and a high-quality one since one can cause much more reflections than the other when you are not using screens.
Generally, cheap anti-blue light glasses usually have low-quality filters.
Note: This type of computer glasses filters only 20% blue light. This means insufficient protection at night or at dusk.
Anti-blue light glasses with filters in their mass
The large laboratories have developed materials that absorb part of the blue light without appearing reflections and hardly change the hue, since they appear completely transparent, although if they are placed in front of a white background, a very slight yellow hue can be seen.
The biggest advantage of this type of computer glasses is that there are no bluish reflections, so they are more aesthetic and vision is more comfortable.
Note: This type of computer glasses filters only 20% blue light. This supposes very low protection to be with screens at dusk and at night, just like the first option.
Computer glasses with anti-blue light filters in their mass and on their surface
This type of anti-blue light glass is the result of combining the two previous filter modalities. They add the mass filter and the external filter, thus increasing the protection without duplicating it.
Note: This type of computer glasses filters about 30% blue light. They offer acceptable but not complete protection if you use screens in the evening or at night.
On the contrary, when you are not using screens, this filter would be unnecessary or even counterproductive for driving at night since you would notice more reflections and it can also make you drowsy more easily.
Yellow or orange computer glasses
There are yellow or orange blue light glasses that filter much more blue light than the previous options. They are glasses with orange/yellow colour filters without gamer-type graduation that can also combine a yellow or orange filter with an extra anti-blue light treatment.
These types of glasses can filter between 60 and 100% blue light. They are a very good option to use to be in front of screens or LED lighting at dusk because apart from protecting us from that blue light, being an almost total filter will help us stimulate melatonin production.
However, I do not recommend them for use during the day, since their filter is very powerful and can induce sleep at inappropriate hours or, as a lesser evil, later have problems at bedtime since contradictory signals reach the brain at different times of the day.
I recommend wearing these types of blue, yellow, or orange light glasses only in the evening and/or at night to easily induce restful sleep. In fact, I have some that I wear over my graduated ones and they work very well for me.
There are different types of non-prescription yellow/orange anti-blue light glasses:
- Normal glasses (sun or prescription glasses without filters).
- Supplements or clips to wear over prescription glasses
- Glasses that are specially designed to be worn on top of other glasses
Note: This type of computer glass filters 60-90% of blue light which is perfect at night when you are at home but not recommended during the day or when driving.
The importance of anti-reflective treatment
The idea is that whenever you can, choose a model of computer glasses that incorporates an anti-reflective treatment.
However, I do wear anti-blue light glasses at night on top of my regular prescription glasses to help me sleep better. I have the model in the photo, which seems to me to be a very powerful solution because, in addition to the orange filter, it incorporates an anti-reflective treatment and another anti-blue light treatment.
These are some of the most recommended models (by mistake in the first it indicates that they are polarized, but they are not and it does not matter if they are (it is a translation error).
Conclusions about computer glasses
I do not recommend using computer glasses as a first option, since I consider that it is always a better solution to filter blue light at the source (both in screens and in LED lights).
However, computer glasses or blue light glasses seem like a good alternative to use at night or in case you can’t adjust the blue light on your electronic device screens.
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With the increasing use of digital devices, the discussion surrounding the effects of blue light on our eyes and overall health has become more relevant. While some believe that computer glasses can protect against the harmful effects of blue light, others remain skeptical. It is important to understand that not all computer glasses are created equal, and it is crucial to choose glasses with lenses specifically designed to filter out blue light. Additionally, it is important to take breaks and limit exposure to digital devices, as well as engage in other activities to give the eyes a rest. By being informed and proactive in our use of technology, we can help protect our eyes and overall health from the effects of blue light.