What are Blue Light Blockers?
I run my business 100% online, I spend a lot of time on my phone and laptop. My eyes started to become strained and I noticed a big difference in my vision.. (which has always been amazing, I’m one of those people who can read the smallest writing from an absurd distance) but I was starting to struggle! I also noticed my sleep was effected when I was up working late.
So I wear these glasses! Cute look, right? 🤣
Did You Know?
Before the lightbulb was invented people relied on lanterns, campfires, and candles (orange light) to see after the sun set. Our eyes have always been able to adjust from beneficial blue light (which occurs naturally during the day) to orange light at night. This shift is one of the signals the brain uses to regulate our circadian rhythm.
Today, however, we stare at blue-lighted devices like cell phones, laptops, tablets, and TV’s well after the sun has set, thus signaling to the brain that it is still daytime. Blue light is very important in regulating circadian rhythm — the body’s natural wakefulness and sleep cycle. Exposure to blue light during daytime hours helps maintain a healthful circadian rhythm.
But too much blue light late at night can disrupt this cycle, potentially causing sleepless nights and daytime fatigue.
Good news—it is an easy fix! Here are some things you can do:
-Decrease screen time at night
-Dim your lights
-Use the blue light filter on your devices
-Wear these stylish glasses
😎Blue light blocking glasses can help..
▪︎Reduce eyestrain and eye fatigue
▪︎Reduce blurred vision
▪︎Reduce headache
▪︎Reduce glare
▪︎Provide UV protection
▪︎Improve sleep and create healthy sleep patterns
▪︎Reduce risk of retina damage, macular degeneration and vision loss.
What blue-blocking lens options are available?
Clear lens blue-blockers – Clear lenses can block anywhere between 5% – 40% of the blue spectrum between 400 and 495 nm, depending on the brand. That is the highest percentage to block with a clear lens. Blocking above 40% will cause the lenses to be yellow.
Yellow lens blue-blockers – A yellow lens generally blocks between 40%-75% of the blue spectrum 400-495 nm. For those who are under junk fluorescent lights and/or staring at a computer screen all day, look for lenses higher on the spectrum. That generally means you’ll be using a yellow blue blocking lens for your intense “staring at the computer screen while under fluorescent lights” work.
Orange lens blue-blockers– These block 100% of the blue spectrum between 400 and 495 nm, which should never be done during the day. Remember, blocking all blue light during the day time will still mess up your sleep-wake cycle, and can even start to change how your brain functions if you consistently block all blue during daytime hours. Bottom line: orange lenses are too powerful during the day, and they actually aren’t enough at night because they don’t block green or violet light (which also are responsible for robbing you of sleep!).
Red lens “blue/green blockers” – This gets a little confusing…because if you are looking at a true red lens, they are blocking both the blue and green light spectrum wavelengths from 400 to 570 nm. So they are really “blue-green” blockers, most commonly called “sleep glasses”. You may see other “red-ish” lens solutions on the market, or other glasses marketed as “sleep-glasses”, but these tend to be orange tinted and don’t block the green or violet spectrum.
Which glasses are right for you?
For daytime eye-strain coverage, there are 2 considerations: Function and Style
Stylish blue blockers can be both fun and effective. It’s a personal preference for whether you’re going to prioritize function over style, or style over function. The good news is that both clear and yellow blue blockers block junk blue light during the day. They just block it at different levels.
If you are style conscious and you haven’t noticed severe eye-strain when working on computers, tablets or phones, or under fluorescent lights, then a clear lens solution at the top of the blue blocking spectrum (40%) is a great option for you. They will tone down the blue and keep your sleep-wake cycle on track.
People who choose clear blue blocking lenses may work in an industry where style is important if they meet with clients or patients. Or their job may require seeing a more “true” color while they work, such as graphic designers. You may not suffer from eye strain at work, but you want to take some preventative action against eye damage and you just like the frames.
If you have heavy eye-strain or headaches during the day, your best bet is more blue blocking filtration than the clear, which put you in the yellow lens zone with coverage between 40% and 75% of the blue spectrum being blocked, depending on the brand you buy. Studies have shown that shift workers also benefit greatly from blue blockers that are designed as sleep-glasses, combined with daytime blue blockers for daytime use.
For night time sleep preparation, there is one huge consideration: Function
When it comes to blocking junk light in the time right before bed, you want to be sure you’re blocking (not filtering and not reducing) the blue and green spectrum. Ideally, you want frames that wrap around a little to block a lot of the ambient light that comes in from the top/sides/bottom. A wrap around style is more effective than large lens style. Plus, you’re at home (or at a hotel on a business trip) in bed. Style doesn’t matter very much in the 30 minutes before sleep. But if you just can’t hack the wrap around style, your other choice is a large lens style – you want the lenses to be big enough to cover the light that will come directly into your eyes from the front. Think of when you hold your table up in front of your face…you don’t want the bright blue to be easily coming in over the top or sides of the lenses.
For best results, a 24-hour solution that combines daytime blue blocking glasses with clear or yellow lenses will provide you with some healthy exposure to blue, and nighttime sleep glasses will completely block all blue and green for fast, quality sleep.
Source and Glasses Recommendations
There you have it! An easy preventative step we can all make for our health!
Who is grabbing a pair of blockers?
©️Mindful Mommy