Eyeglasses and Eyewear
Blue Light Lenses
Blue light filtering lenses reduce the amount of short wavelength light reaching the eye. They can improve glare comfort during long screen sessions. There is no good evidence that screen blue light damages the eyes.
This page exists because blue light lenses are widely oversold, and it is worth being straight about it.
The claim frequently made, that blue light from screens damages your eyes and that filtering lenses protect against that damage, is not supported by the evidence. The American Academy of Ophthalmology's position is that screen blue light does not cause eye damage, and the intensity involved is a tiny fraction of what you get from ordinary daylight. This practice does not make that claim.
What blue light lenses can legitimately offer is comfort. Some people find long screen sessions less tiring with a filter, and there is a reasonable case around evening screen use and sleep, because blue light exposure late at night does affect melatonin. That is a sleep argument rather than an eye health one.
If screen work is making your eyes tired, the more productive interventions are usually a prescription optimised for your screen distance, addressing tear film problems, and the 20 20 20 rule.
What this does not do
- No evidence supports the claim that blue light from screens damages the eyes.
- Filtering does not treat dry eye, focusing strain or eye coordination problems, which are the actual causes of most screen related discomfort.
Questions and answers
Do blue light glasses work?
They reduce glare and some people find them more comfortable for long sessions, which is a real benefit. They do not protect your eyes from damage, because screen blue light does not cause damage.
Should I get them for my child?
There is no eye health reason to. If a child has screen related discomfort, the useful checks are an accurate prescription, eye coordination assessment and screen habits.
What about sleep?
Evening blue light exposure does affect melatonin production. Reducing screen use before bed, or using device night modes, addresses that more directly than lenses do.
So what actually helps with screen eye strain?
A prescription optimised for your screen distance, treating any underlying dry eye, checking eye coordination at near, the 20 20 20 rule, and a sensible workstation setup.
Talk to someone about blue light lenses
Appointments are scheduled two per hour, so there is time to answer questions properly. Call (480) 706-3937 or request a time online.