The Truth About Blue Light Glasses (What They Actually Do)

Blue Light Glasses: Do They Really Work? 0:00

Let's talk about them, because if you're like most people, you've probably either bought a pair, thought about buying a hair or felt guilty for not buying the pair. We've been told they reduce eye strain, prevent headaches and save our eyes from screens. But here's the real question. Do they actually work or are we all just buying an expensive yellow tinted or not even tint it placebo? The answer is complicated. But don't worry, I'll make this simple. First, let's clean up a major misconception.

What Actually Causes Screen Eye Strain 0:31

Most of the eye strain, headaches, fatigue and burning eyes that people blame on blue light has nothing to do with the actual bluelight. It's caused by something called near point stress. Your eyes were never designed to stare at something 12 inches from your face for eight to 10 hours a day. And when you do, your focusing system gets locked in near mode. Your blinking drops by as much as 60% and your visual brain becomes overwhelmed. And blue light glasses do nothing for any of that. They don't relax your focus and system.

They don't reset your visual brain. All they do is alter the light coming in through the eyes. So if you put them on and feel magically better, it's most likely because you're paying more attention to your eyes and not because the glasses fix the root problem. With really high quality ones, changing how the brain filters light can be a good thing, but you still are not addressing the cause of what's happening.

When Blue Light Glasses Help Sleep 1:29

Does that mean blue light glasses are useless? Not exactly. This is where they actually do help. where the marketing finally lines up with reality, your sleep. Blue light, especially from screens, that artificial light signals your brain to stay alert. It suppresses melatonin, the hormone that tells your brains it's nighttime. So if you're scrolling at 10 PM, 11 PM midnight, you brain thinks it is daytime. This is where blue light glasses can make a real difference. If you use them at night in that two to three hour window before bed, They can help reduce blue light's impact on melatonin secretion and make it easier to fall asleep and in some cases even stay asleep.

They're a sleep tool, not necessarily a daytime save your eyes tool. During the day, you need to do more than block bluelight. What you needed is to reduce the visual stress associated with reading and screens and all this near concentration that we're all under. And that comes from habits and the right training, and not just glasses. But the things that actually reduce screen time are blinking more often, taking look away breaks, using better lighting,

Better Ways to Reduce Daytime Visual Stress 2:31

adjusting screen distance, and most importantly, addressing underlying functional vision problems. Blue light glasses can't do any of that for you. And here's the bottom line, blue light glass won't fix daytime eyestrain because the problem likely isn't just the blue lights. It's how your eyes and brain are being overworked. But they can help your sleep if you use them in the evening. So, If you like them, great. If want to wear them at night, even better. But if you're wearing them during the work day hoping to save your eyes from screens, you are treating the wrong problem.

within your visual system, I put together a quick quiz that breaks it all down.

Bottom Line and Call to Action 3:16

Comment first, F-I-R-S-T, and I'll send it right over your way. And if you found this helpful, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss the next deep dive that we do on how your eyes and brain actually work together.