Although working from home has its advantages, one con is the increased number of hours spent online, whether for work or entertainment. It’s harder and harder to break away from screens.
Eyewear changed during the pandemic. Styles became more fashion-forward, even for the most classic glasses wearer, and blended with better lenses technology for the long hours in front of PCs.
Blue light glasses became huge, not just a functional accessory anymore, for protection purposes, but something you enjoy wearing because they make you look better.
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Why Should You Be Wearing Blue Light Glasses?
Blue light is all around you, and some of the worst sources are the ones you interact with the most: your computer, phone, or tablet. Too much blue light could lead to premature aging of the eyes, retina damage, and perpetual eye strain.
This is where blue light-blocking glasses come in – they act as a barrier between our eyes and the blue HEV wavelengths. However, a lot of work goes into how the lenses are designed and coated to stop harmful wavelengths.
Blue light blocking glasses are designed to filter out the harmful blue-violet (ultraviolet or UV) light rays commonly emitted from digital screens.
These lenses have special filtering materials and surface coatings that reduce glare and help reduce potential damage from prolonged exposure to blue light.
Why Is Blue Light Bad for Your Eyes?
In both its artificial and natural form, blue light has one of the shortest and highest energy wavelengths. These High Energy Visible (HEV) wavelengths flicker and create a powerful glaring effect that reduces visual acuity and clarity.
Over prolonged exposure to blue light causes eye strain, difficulties in sleeping, headaches, and physical and overall mental fatigue.
How Do Blue Glasses Work?
To have an efficient blocking filter, the lenses must be equipped with special coatings embedded in them. The most important coatings that help are the anti-reflective layer and the blue block coating.
Both minimize the amount of light reflected away from the eye, reducing distracting glare and protecting the retina from wavelengths that scientists have found most harmful (380 nm – 500 nm).
The first anti-reflective layer is an essential part of how blue light glasses work – it’s designed to remove glare and allow the most light to pass through the lenses.
The blue block coatings act as a second filter that deflects the short-wavelength light rays from reaching your eyes.
Depending on the technology and the coatings used, blue light glasses can remove between 50% to 100% of the harmful high energy visible (HEV) light, allowing only the light, which is beneficial for good vision, to pass through the lens.
Wearing Blue Light Glasses Can Have Multiple Benefits
If your average screen time sums up to 4 hours per day or more, blue light protection is recommended by the American Optometric Association.
Although blue light glasses are first and foremost functional glasses, don’t forget about style. Even if your eyesight is flawless and you do not require a prescription, consider investing in a pair that you actually like and enjoy wearing.
Too much blue light can make your brain excessively alert, leading to trouble falling asleep and daytime tiredness.
They Alleviate Eye Strain – Blue light and excess reflections from your computer screen can cause eye strain, headaches, and tired eyes. These symptoms are referred to as computer vision syndrome (CVS). Wearing blue light glasses while working at the computer can improve your focus and efficiency.
They Eliminate Screen Glare – Many digital devices continue to have reflective surfaces that lead to the inevitable glare-effect, also known as one of the most common causes of eyestrain. The Anti-Reflecting (AR) coat prevents distracting glare and blurry vision while increasing contrast for a better, less-straining experience.
They Can Improve Your Sleep – If you’ve made a habit of working late nights in front of your computer or scrolling through messages on your smartphone, you should be aware that too much blue light can make your brain excessively alert, leading to trouble falling asleep and daytime tiredness. If you cannot abide by the advice that suggests putting away all screen devices at least one hour before going to bed, make sure that you wear your blue light-blocking glasses even in your downtime, after you’re done working.
When you opt for a new pair of blue light glasses and since you’ll be wearing them for part of the day, make sure that you choose frames as comfortable as possible and fit perfectly with your style. At Vint & York lenses are crafted by experienced technicians at their cutting-edge lab and every prescription is validated and filled by a licensed optician, so you can be sure that the lenses you get are exactly what your doctor prescribed.
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