Blue Light Glasses Don't Work. Try These Free Methods Instead

Aug 07, 2023

Photo Illustration by Zack Angeline for Verywell Health; Getty Images

Blue light blocking glasses have become very popular over the last few years, but these glasses may not actually protect your eyes from the screen.

A review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews suggested that blue light glasses don’t prevent eye strain or improve sleep quality—two key benefits that are often marketed by manufacturers.

However, most eye health experts don’t find the results surprising.

“Most vision scientists, most optometrists, most ophthalmologists have known for a long time that blue light from digital devices really doesn’t pose any significant threat to the eyes or to the visual system at all,” said Adam Gordon, OD, MPH, FAAO, chair of the department of optometry and vision science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Your eyes can only see a small percent of the light waves called visible light. Every color of the rainbow—including blue light—is found on the visible spectrum of light and the combination of these colors is what creates white light.

Computers, TVs, and smartphone screens give off a lot of blue light. When consumers started spending more time in front of the screen, they began to worry about the increased exposure to blue light, according to Gordon.

“That’s an opportunity, of course, to market products,” he said.

Blue light glasses claim to filter out blue light to reduce eye strain or prevent sleep disturbances. But the standard blue light glasses only block out about 5–10% of blue light, according to Phillip Yuhas, OD, PhD, an optometrist and an assistant professor at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.

“Do not expect to have any meaningful health benefits from wearing those glasses because the evidence just simply doesn’t support it,” Yuhas told Verywell.

If you stare at a screen for a long time, you may experience headaches, dry eyes, blurred vision, or other symptoms of “digital eye strain.”

“Staring at the computer can have some negative effects. It can cause your eyes to dry out and become uncomfortable. It puts stress on your eyes’ ability to work together as a team, it stresses your ability to focus up close,” Yuhas said.

The problem doesn’t come from blue light exposure, but rather from staring at a screen up close for hours at a time, he added.

To prevent eye strain, it’s best to take breaks from the screen. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the “20-20-20 Rule,” which means for every 20 minutes of screen time you should look at something that’s at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds or longer.

Blue light can keep your body from producing the hormone melatonin, which regulates your sleep-wake cycle. The sun is the main source of blue light, and you can actually benefit from blue light exposure during the day.

In the daytime, blue light exposure helps suppress melatonin, according to Raj Maturi, MD, a board-certified ophthalmologist and an adjunct clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. But at night, the release of melatonin is supposed to help with sleep.

“A lot of bright light—especially blue light—hitting our retinas causes our body not to produce melatonin,” Maturi told Verywell. “Without the melatonin, our sleep cycle is definitely affected, and we don’t sleep as well.”

The best prevention is to reduce screen time before bed, Maturi said. If you have to use screens at night, he recommends cutting down on the output of blue light by using f.lux, dark mode, or night shift on your device.

According to Yuhas, you should try to turn off your screens at least 30 minutes before going to bed.

“The worst thing that you can do is sit there and scroll through your phone before you go to bed. It’s not going to damage your eyes, but it might affect your sleep,” Yuhas said.

The new review noted negative side effects like headaches and discomfort from both blue light and non-blue light filtering glasses. However, there is not enough data to draw clear conclusions about the possible risks of wearing blue light glasses, according to Laura Downie, BOptom, PhD, a co-author of the review and an associate professor of optometry and vision sciences at the University of Melbourne.

Most eye health experts don’t seem concerned about any health risks from wearing blue light glasses. You may even experience a “placebo” effect and think you feel better while wearing them, according to Maturi.

Besides the cost, there’s no real downside to wearing blue light glasses.

“It’s nice to see that it’s actually clearly stated in multiple studies now that it really doesn’t matter. It’s more of a fashion statement,” Maturi said.

Experts say that eye strain can also be caused by wearing an outdated prescription. If you feel symptoms of digital eye strain, you may want to speak with an eye care expert to see if you need a new prescription for your glasses.

Singh S, Keller PR, Busija L, et al. Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;8(8):CD013244. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013244.pub2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is radiation? The electromagnetic spectrum.

Wong NA, Bahmani H. A review of the current state of research on artificial blue light safety as it applies to digital devices. Heliyon. 2022;8(8):e10282. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10282

American Optometric Association. Computer vision syndrome.

American Academy of Ophthalmology. Computers, digital devices, and eye strain.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The color of the light affects the circadian rhythms.

American Academy of Ophthalmology. Should you be worried about blue light?

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Your sleep/wake cycle.