“Computer glasses” are a booming category, thanks to increased screen time, but scientists say they don’t do much.
Jennifer Lopez is wearing them, Kylie Jenner and Rashida Jones are promoting them, and Drew Barrymore is selling them. Blue-light glasses are shaping up to be the accessory of our prolonged screen-mediated moment. But do we need them?
Blue-light glasses are fitted with lenses that filter out certain light waves that are emitted by the sun and, to a lesser extent, by digital devices like phones, laptops and tablets. Blue light is not inherently bad; it boosts attention and wakefulness during the day. But it suppresses the natural production of melatonin at night.
By limiting exposure to blue light by as little as 20 percent, companies say, a customer could sleep better, experience less eye strain and prevent potential retinal damage.
Scientists, however, are not convinced that the glasses are a worthy investment.
“Whichever aspect you look at, it’s very hard to justify spending the extra money,” said Dr. John Lawrenson, a professor of clinical visual science at City, University of London. (Prices vary but start at around $20.) After reviewing several studies that tested the effectiveness of blue-light-blocking lenses, he and his colleagues concluded that the glasses are not necessary.
Digital eye strain is real, but it’s impossible to say with certainty that the culprit is blue light. “No one has established an independent causal association between blue light coming from the computer and visual symptoms,” Dr. Lawrenson said. He recommended going to an eye doctor for a checkup instead of rushing to buy nonprescription glasses.
Regardless, the blue-light category is booming. A quick Google search pulls up several brands that almost exclusively sell “computer glasses” (like Felix Gray, which raised more than $1.7 million in funding in 2020, bringing its total funding to $7.8 million as of September, according to PitchBook), as well as prescription-eyewear companies like Zenni (which sold two million pairs of its Blokz lenses in 2020, according to the company) and Jins (which noted an uptick in online orders last year). If you’ve shopped at Warby Parker recently, you were probably asked if you’d like a blue-light filter added to your lenses.
