By Kimberly Le
I will admit first hand that I am an owner of a pair of blue light glasses. I found my eyes constantly strained after hours on end behind a computer working on essays or other minute tasks. My partner suggested I go to Zenni, an online glasses warehouse with a variety of designs, prescriptions, and more importantly, its addition of blue light blocking glasses (BBG). At first I was hesitant. My sister, who has prescribed glasses, made it clear that people with perfect vision (like me) buying glasses as a "fashion trend" were harmful to those who actually need the spectacles to see. I held off buying a pair for a while, afraid that I was going to give into the harmful implications of buying glasses to help with eye strain under the guise of buying it for looks. However, time had passed, and soon it got to the point where I couldn't even look at a screen without feeling the pressures around my temple area tighten. And so, I gave into my partner's advice and bought myself a pair of non-prescribed blue light glasses. I avoided wearing them around prescribed glasses users or individuals that would call out the fact that the glasses were "fake". But as universities all over the world began its transition to Zoom, the need to combat hours of screen time justified the buying of blue light glasses, especially for those with perfect vision. However, my concerns didn't line up with that of society's hesitance toward blue light glasses. It's the fact that many people claim they help reduce migraines or headaches, even though the root problem isn't blue light from screens, it's digital eye strain (Builder, 2019). While blue light is emitted from digital devices, the major source that radiates blue light is the sun (Builder, 2019). Many scientists and organizations, namely the American Academy of Ophthalmology, state that BBG aren't generally helpful in terms of digital device usage, and that the only "real" solution is by taking breaks in between (Ellis, 2019). The only instance that BBG may come in handy is at night, when blue light from devices disrupt our body's sleep pattern -- many of you have heard that it is recommended at least four hours of not having a screen to ensure a proper night's sleep (Builder, 2019; Ellis, 2019). However, in this day and age, perhaps that isn't as realistic as scientists hope it would be. I, myself, am prone to using my phone before I go to bed and resort to taking melatonin gummies to help me sleep faster and better (therefore being on my phone can't be that bad, right?) So, BBG may come in handy to reduce some of the blue light, but not by a whole lot (turns out our body associates blue light with daytime which is why using our phones at night is not ideal) (Ellis, 2019). Regardless of what science says, people, namely young adults, have reported benefits from using BBG and while that's great, scientists' main concern is false advertising and marketing (Ellis, 2019). Oftentimes eyewear companies give the illusion that certain products of theirs ensure protection from natural light sources. One company went as far as claiming that blue light causes retinal damage and was charged 40,000 pounds for misleading customers (Ellis, 2019). Despite that, many BBG wearers praise their blue light glasses and continue to advertise their support for them. In the words of Ellis (2019), if it helps, who cares? I personally felt that they had some effect as a person who spends time on some device for six or more hours nearly every day. But after reading these articles, I began to worry if my investment was nothing more than a placebo. Which goes to show how little research I had done and I'm sure many others have as well. Will this change the way I take care of my constant eye strain and headaches? Ideally, yes. Realistically, probably not. But will it force me to be more aware of the media I consume online, as well as products that may or may not actually benefit me, and encourage me to actually take care of myself? Yes, very much so. If you're a person who uses BBG in any way, shape, or form (whether you're prescribed or not), or someone who was considering or generally curious about the hype, be aware of your investments and the risks of placebos and reality. Talk with a health professional or do your own research before adding that really cute pair of tortoise-shell glasses into your cart. And most importantly, if you've read this far into my post, it's probably time for a break from the screen. :) References Builder, M. (2019, Feb 13). Do Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses Actually Do Anything? The Strategist. https://nymag.com/strategist/article/blue-light-blocking-glasses-work.html Ellis, R. (2019, Dec 16). Blue Light Glasses - Helpful or Just Hype? WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/news/20191216/do-blue-light-glasses-work
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January 2024
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