- More people than ever have been looking
to blue light blocking glasses
to solve problems with falling asleep,
eye strain, and headaches.
But are they actually worth the hype?
We're going to talk to Kaitlyn Wells,
who just finished writing the guide
answering that very question.
(cheerful orchestra music)
Kaitlyn, based on your research,
and then having worn these glasses for testing,
do they live up to the hype?
- Blue light blocking glasses
most certainly do not live up to the hype.
(Dorie laughs) they claim
to prevent headaches, to decrease eye strain,
and to improve your quality of sleep.
But after reading nearly two dozen studies,
interviewing three optometrists,
two eyeglasses providers,
two sleep specialists, a medical doctor
and an ergonomics expert,
the answer is these glasses don't do
half the things they claim to.
So for me, blue light blocking glasses
aren't going to help me when it comes
to digital eye strain or preventing headaches.
- Why is everyone so worried about blue light?
- There is some data to suggest
that blue light does impact your sleep.
Blue light is found in every type of light source,
including sunlight, and we know that sunlight is responsible
for telling you when it's time
to start the day and hit the hay
because it in fact tells you
to suppress your melatonin,
which is responsible for your sleep wake cycle.
Blue light can actually suppress melatonin
for twice as long as
say green light, for example,
which can mean a difference of falling asleep
in 30 minutes versus an hour.
Anecdotally, I can say I think
blue light blocking glasses
have helped with sleep.
So as long as I wear them
and reduce the screen brightness on my phone
and turn it to night mode,
I have anecdotally noticed a difference.
I really advise anybody against spending
you know, 60 bucks to upgrade
their prescription lenses
because it's really not worth it at this point.
It's best to buy a cheap pair of glasses
to see if you like them and to see if you notice
a difference in your sleep cycle,
and then you can always invest
in a more expensive pair later.
- Lucky for us, I have a couple
of the blue light blocking glasses
that Kaitlyn references in her guide.
Over here, we have Tijn.
What should I be thinking about
while these are on my face?
- While you wear the glasses,
you want to make sure that they fit your face properly.
Because you don't want to be doing this all day
and pushing them up.
And you also don't want to cause more eye strain
than you think you're already experiencing.
So you want to check that the bridge
is in a good place for you,
that the temples aren't too tight,
and that the bottom of the lens
isn't hitting your cheeks
in a weird way that's gonna apply pressure
on your sinuses.
- So far, these ones are doing all of those things
and they have made my screen look
yeah a little less blurred.
You can see my reflection
so I hope there's nothing embarrassing
on my computer for all of you to see.
And did these ones do well with your panel?
- That was a favorite among our panelists
like all of our picks.
That's personally one that I really liked
because it comes in about 14 different colors,
so you can buy a whole bunch of them
to match your outfits and just have fun with them.
- I feel like an influencer.
So these here are the Sungaits.
Same with the last pair,
there's a little bit of glare on screens.
I mean, the last ones, I felt like I looked smart.
These ones, instant acceptance into Mensa with these ones.
They're just, like, big and statement-y.
It's not like super orange,
but again, things feel warmer visually.
- So these cat eye lenses
were definitely a cute option,
but they fell short of being a pick for this guide.
The frames and the temple arms were crooked
which means they are gonna be uncomfortable to wear
and you're going to be stuck adjusting them all day long.
The lens glare that you're witnessing
is a bit much for some people.
So we decided it was best to just avoid them in general.
- These are the Sojos.
I like the nose pad.
That makes them feel like if I were wearing them
all day long, you know, it's nice
to have the weight distributed.
I think the glare again is not ideal.
This would be really bad if you were playing online poker,
but just don't do that with your glasses on,
and then you're fine.
I don't feel like they're making everything
super red-y or orange-y.
What did people think about them,
especially what did you think about them, Kaitlyn,
when you were testing?
- These were another great pair
that everybody really liked.
The minimalist wire frames,
you can never go wrong with that.
And they had a hint of flare
with just the tiniest bit of cat eye on them.
- I like these ones.
They feel nice, I can bop my head around,
they're not moving anywhere.
Great selection, I can't pick a favorite.
I guess, you know what, no,
I think these ones are my favorite.
Yeah, because these ones, they would go with the most.
In summary, and given all the research
and the testing that you have done,
are these things worth getting?
- It's worth getting a really cheap pair
of blue light blockers if you have trouble
falling asleep at night.
That way, you can decide for yourself
if it's worth it or not.
Your best option is to just put
away your digital devices
for two to three hours before you go to bed,
or if you actually can't lose your grip on them,
to change the screen brightness
and to make sure they're in night mode.
- I'm Dorie Chevlen, and these are all
of the glasses featured in this video.
Thank you again for watching, and if you liked it,
feel free to like, comment or subscribe.
Bye.