Do Blue Light Glasses Help?

As a work-at-home mom, I spend a lot of time on my computer. Now, unlike someone who works in an office, I don’t spend my time on the computer just staring at the screen. My kids are quite helpful at getting me to glance away from the computer on a regular basis to check on them or to go help them make sandwiches, find another toy, or settle a squabble. On days when they are occupied and I am more focused, I do find that my eyes get sore from staring at my screen for so long. So, like many others, I’ve been curious about blue light glasses.

Do blue light glasses help?

I received a pair of glasses in exchange for this review; all opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links; as a WMP affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What is blue light?

We’re actually exposed to quite a bit of blue light naturally from the sun, as well as from the lights in our homes. However, using screens definitely increases the amount of blue light reaching our eyes each day. Good Housekeeping notes that “researchers have determined that blue wavelengths — at the high end of the light spectrum, right before UV — are beneficial during daylight hours because they boost attention, reaction times, and mood.”

That’s great during the day, but what about when the sun has gone down and we’re still working on a device? While blue light won’t cause eye damage or lead to macular degeneration, it can result in eye strain and sleep problems for some. Blue light glasses can help reduce the amount of blue light reaching our eyes, especially later in the day, to help improve sleep.

One of my concerns around screens for myself and my children is getting to bed afterward. For years, I’ve avoided working after the kids go to bed, not just because I’m usually super tired myself, but because I don’t want the blue light to affect my sleep. As a mom, I’ve long been aware of the connection between a good night’s rest and my own mental health and ability to be a good mom. And now that my teen is often doing homework on her computer in the evening, I’m also worried about her getting a good night’s sleep.

Two students try blue light glasses

We recently had the chance to try a pair of blue light glasses from WearMePro. I choose the Wasley frames in light green. I probably should have let Sunshine pick the frames, because she’s primarily been the one wearing them since they arrived. She sees me wear my glasses all the time and has long wanted glasses, but (to her chagrin and my gratitude), every eye exam she’s had has come back 20/20. So she was very excited to have a pair of non-prescription glasses with a reason to wear them.

Sunshine is doing Grade 8 at our local Catholic high school this year. It’s meant juggling classes and extracurricular activities and homework too. After years of homeschooling, Sunshine has adjusted well to having to wake up and get ready for school every morning, even on the mornings when she has to be there early for choir. Knowing her busy schedule, I try to encourage her to get to bed at a reasonable time, which includes putting away screens soon after supper.

When she does need to do homework in the evening, she wears her blue light glasses. After a busy day at school, often spent working on her laptop in the classroom to complete assignments, she finds that the blue light glasses do help . During classroom time, she’s likely glancing away from her computer more often, to the teacher, the blackboard, and her friends, giving her eyes a break from the blue light. At home, she’s able to be more focused on her homework and the screen. Her glasses are then helpful in reducing the amount of blue light she’s exposed to so that she can get to sleep when she’s done her homework.

Lily, currently working on Grade 7 at home, also tried the blue light glasses, but found them less helpful. Lily has one extracurricular activity online this year—a book club that happens via Zoom, with some reading prep and homework that needs to be done in Google docs or on a shared blog. She also enjoys writing stories on the computer, just as I did as a teen, and coding games and projects in Scratch. She found the blue light glasses more annoying than helpful.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to try the blue light glasses as I can’t see much without my prescription glasses. I thought perhaps I sit close enough to the computer to use the glasses, but found I still required my regular glasses. WearMePro doesn’t yet have prescription blue light glasses or sunglasses. So if you don’t require a prescription and want to try out a pair of blue light glasses for yourself, WearMePro has some cute, affordable options!

More about WearMePro

WearMePro offers sunglasses, blue light glasses, and prescription glasses for men and women starting at $30 a pair. As a small, independent, family-owned business, WearMePro is proud to offer finely crafted, on-trend eyewear without the luxury brand price tag.

The company was founded in 2011 by David and Ula, who believe quality eyeglasses should be available to everyone. In 2019, WearMePro was named the #9 Fastest Growing Arizona Company by Inc. 5000 with a 6,500 square foot warehouse to show for it. When they aren’t designing new frames, David and Ula enjoy spending time with their daughter and their bulldog.

WearMePro uses full resin saturation technology in their blue light lenses. This means that the blue light blocking polymer is inserted directly into the lens, rather than just being a top layer of film, like other brands. With only a slight blue tint, their lenses will not distort your vision.