Blue light is essential for our health and vision but too much of it can cause problems, including eye damage and insomnia. Luckily there are plenty of glasses on the market today that are designed to stop over exposure to blue light. But there are lots of them so can be a tough decision knowing which to get. That is where this article comes into play. Here I will be going over six of the best blue light blocking glasses out there.
With increases in technology and scientific research catching up with the many health problems that arise from this, it is becoming more and more well known that most people are being overexposed to blue light throughout the day.
Why is this?? If blue light comes from the sun and the sun has been around for billions of years then why all of a sudden now do people need blue light blocking glasses?
Well the reason is because of the technology. In a report released by comScore it was found that the average American adult spends around 3 hours per day on their mobile device. And this is just one study. Some show the amount of time on average being much higher than this. Why is this important? Because guess what you’re getting exposed to while on your mobile device…… You guessed it: blue light.
Blue light coming from unnatural sources is everywhere. You get it from your TV, your phone, your tablet, and the growing number of LED lights that are beginning to replace nearly all incandescent lights out there.
What Overexposure To Blue Light Can Do
According to Dr Mark Dunbar (OD) and Dr Ronald Melton (OD) in this article, blue light can reach deeper into our eyes than other lights of the visible spectrum. Overexposure in the worst case scenario can cause damage to the retina and lead to vision loss. Have you ever felt your eyes being dry and itchy after a long time staring at a computer screen? This can in part be caused by the blue light that you are staring directly at.
And there are other more common health concerns that arise from overexposure, mainly being problems sleeping. You see the human body has, over many many years, become accustom to the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening, meaning that there was normally a long period of time every day where humans were not exposed to blue light. Nowadays it doesn’t work like this. When the sun goes down people are on their devices, watching TV, getting high-beamed by that really annoying car with bright LED lights, and so on.
The problem with this comes from blue light’s effect on melatonin production, which is necessary for sleep. Blue light can impede the production of melatonin which means you won’t get that sleepy feeling that you should be getting at night, or at least not as much of it.
So if you want to protect your eyes and keep your biological clock on track in today’s society then a good pair of blue light blocking glasses is something that you should consider.
The Top 6 Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Starting with #1…
1) Swannies Blue Blocker Glasses
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Pros
- Made by a FDA registered company in the USA
- Amber lenses block more blue light than any other color
- 100% UV protection
- Acetate frames that can be adjusted to your face
- Small, regular, and even kid sizes
- Anti-reflective and anti-glare
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Cons
- Flimsy frames can get mis-shaped easily
- The dark amber tint might drive some people crazy
- No magnification option
- Frames don’t wrap around
- Don’t know how much blue light is blocked
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Swannies Blue Blocker Glasses are probably the most popular blue light blocking glasses out there. They have plenty of endorsements from celebrities ranging from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tai Lopez, and a list of many others.
The company these are made by is called Swanwick Sleep and what is nice about them is that they are FDA registered. They manufacture sleep products and these glasses are actually considered a medical device, which is why they have to be registered. This gives you some peace of mind knowing that a regulatory authority like the FDA is checking in on them and making sure that their products do what they say they do.
As you can obviously tell in the picture of these glasses above, the lenses are a dark orange looking color. This amber tint is used because it is able to block more blue light than any other color. So while you might not like the look of the lens color, it is necessary to block as much blue light as possible. In addition the lenses are also antireflective and antiglare as you would expect. What you wouldn’t expect is that these lenses actually add contrast and sharpen details. This reduces eye fatigue as well.
Now how much blue light to these lenses actually block? This I do not know and I was not able to find any information on. Many glasses will tell you that they block a certain amount blue light, such as 50% or 75% or something, but I cannot find any information on this anywhere. However from what I can tell they do a pretty darn good job.
They come in a variety of sizes including kids sizes so there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to find a pair that fits your face. However I have noticed that there are a number of people complaining about the acetate frames. These frames can be adjusted to better fit your face but the problem is they can become misshaped easily.
There is also no magnification option with these glasses. Most people probably are not looking for magnification anyhow, but it is still a nice option to have.
2) Duco PRO Blue Light Blocking Glasses
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Pros
- Not too expensive
- Look professional & stylish
- Filters out 90% + of blue light
- High quality lenses imported from Germany
- Ergonomic fit
- Rubber earpiece for comfort and so they don’t slide off
- Bendable frame to protect against breaking
- Extremely light weight
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Cons
- Dark amber tint distorts colors
- No magnification option
- Frames don’t wrap around
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Duco PRO Blue Light Blocking Glasses are a great choice if you’re looking for a pair of glasses a block most blue light, look stylish and classy, but don’t cost quite as much as the Swannies above. I actually would even say that I prefer the look of these classes over the Swannies.
You can see that the lenses are that dark amber color. Like I mentioned above, this is what you want if you are looking for a pair to block as much blood as possible. These glasses have lenses that are imported from Germany and are rated as blocking 90% of all blue light, which is nice because it gives you plenty of protection while still allowing you to see some blue. The downside of course is that colors will be distorted when looking through these glasses because of the thick tint.
One thing that I want to touch upon about this particular pair is the fit. They have a comfortable ergonomic fit with rubber earpieces and a soft nose pad. This provides added comfort where you need it most, on the bridge of the nose and behind the ears, and also helps keep the glasses from sliding off your face. In addition to this comfort there also very light weight for an even more comfortable fit when wearing them for long periods of time.
Because they’re so lightweight you might be worried about the durability. While I’m sure some durability is sacrificed with their comfort prioritized design, they seem to be well made and have a bendable frame that will keep them from breaking easily.
Included with these glasses is a hard clamshell case, a soft drawstring bag and a cleaning cloth.
3) SPEKTRUM PROSPEK Premium Computer Glasses
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Pros
- No color distortion
- Block UV light & electromagnetic rays also
- Different sizes and colors available
- Optional magnification lenses
- Anti-glare
- Come in nice hard shell case
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Cons
- Only block 50% of blue light
- Smudge rather easily
- A bit flimsy
- Don’t wrap around
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The SPEKTRUM PROSPEK are another great choice for blue light blocking glasses. Just from looking at them you can see that they look nice. They have a very professional appearance to them and do not have the orange lenses that some people think look ridiculous.
However, as I mentioned with the Swannies above, the orange lenses are the best for blocking blue light. The SPEKTRUM PROSPEK here only block 50% of blue light which might be due to the fact that they are not tinted so much. There is actually a slight Amber tend that you will notice when wearing them but it is minimal and not very obvious. So this isn’t quite as good for blocking blue light but it is nice that it doesn’t give you all the color distortion.
In addition to blocking blue light these are also designed to block electromagnetic rays, block 100% of UV light, and have and antiglare coating. However, even those these block 100% of UV light they are not good to use in place of sunglasses. Like I said, they don’t really offer any tint at all so they don’t offer much protection from the sun in that respect, whereas the Swannies do.
When buying these you have a good bit of different options to choose from. You can choose from red/black frames or gray, and you can also choose between small and regular sizes. In addition these do have a magnification option where you can choose to go with 1x magnification.
And something that isn’t completely necessary but is a nice little bonus is the fact that these come with a hard case you can carry them around and so they don’t get damaged.
Some downsides to this particular pair of blue light blocking glasses is that they seem to smudge rather easily and, like pretty much every other pair out there, their frames are not too durable. They are plastic and somewhat flimsy. That said, they get the job done and look really nice which is why these are one of my top picks and why I own a pair.
4) CGID CT12 Blue Light Blocking Glasses
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Pros
- Very inexpensive
- Nice looking
- Many frame colors and designs to choose from as well as lens tint variations
- Claim to block 90% of blue light (questionable)
- Frames are decently strong
- Block electromagnetic radiation
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Cons
- Questionable blue light blocking capabilities
- No magnification option
- Only come in one size
- Lenses don’t wrap around
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The CGID CT12 Blue Light Blocking Glasses or a good choice for their very low price but do not do as good of a job as the Swannies or SPEKTRUM’s above.
From the picture you can see that they are nicely designed glasses. They have a professional look while still having somewhat of a trendy look as well. There are many different frame color variations as well as style. There are also different lens tense you can choose between, some of which have very little tint at all while others have a darker amber color. I would assume that the ones with darker amber lenses would block more blue light but there is no mention of this anywhere.
As far as blue light blocking capabilities go, these are said to block 90% of blue light. However this is questionable and while it does definitely block blue light to some extent, I’m not sure if I believe it blocks 90%. They do show pictures of tests that they have performed that show it blocks this amount blue light, but I’m just not sure if I believe them. I have read some reviews comparing these to Swannies where the Swannies proof to perform much better. These are made by a Chinese brand and are not regulated by the FDA or anything so you kind of just have to trust what they tell you.
On the upside these do block electromagnetic radiation as well and their frames seem to be stronger than most. I also was not able to find anything about UV protection the. There is no mention of this so if you’re looking for blue light blocking glasses that you can also use it as somewhat of sunglasses then these are definitely not what you want.
Overall the CGID CT12 Blue Light Blocking Glasses seem to perform well, but like always you get what you pay for.
5) Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Glasses
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Pros
- Inexpensive
- Uses “Spectrum Control Technology” to absorb 98% of blue light
- Filters out 99.9% of UV light (most companies would just say 100%)
- Sharpen detail
- Uni-lens allows for better viewing
- Wrap around lens for more protection
- Fit over top of most prescription glasses
- Can be used as safety glasses (meets ANSI Z87+ standard)
- Adjustable length frame
- Made in USA
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Cons
- Heavy amber tint, distorts colors
- Curved lens can cause unwanted reflections
- Not a pleasant appearance in many people’s opinion
- No magnification options
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The Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Glasses are a good bit different from the others on the list but are actually pretty darn good. They are a totally different style from most of what you see and have somewhat of a sporty/safety glasses look to them.
“Spectrum Control Technology” is what these glasses are advertised as using, but this is really just a fancy term meaning that they block certain lights and allow other lights and, as all blue light blocking glasses do.
As you can see they have a fairly heavy amber tent. Of course this is going to distort colors to a degree but on the upside it blocks 98% of blue light. In addition to blocking blue light they also block 99.9% of UV light, which most companies would just list as 100%.
The uni-lens of this pair is something that should not be overlooked. This does not have frames going down the sides or bottom that will obstruct your view. The lenses are also very wide and wrap around the sides to block as much blue light as possible. The downside to this is that because the lens is surrounded it can create unwanted reflections at times.
If you are looking to wear something that is going to fit over top of your prescription glasses then these are pair that will work for you. They are fairly large and as long as you don’t have some massive glasses to wear them over top of they should do fine.
Oh yeah… And they look like safety glasses because they are safety glasses. They meet safety standards for protection against projectiles.
So pretty much these are a very affordable pair of blue light blocking glasses that offer great blue light protection, can be worn over top of normal glasses, and can be used as safety glasses. Since they provide 99.9% UV protection and have a dark amber tint they also work good as sunglasses.
6) Northland Anti-Blue Computer Glasses
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Pros
- Block 95% of blue light
- FDA approved
- Fit over top of most prescription glasses
- Includes hard case, cleaning cloth, and soft bag
- Large lenses & no rim on bottom for better viewing
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Cons
- Dark amber tint distorts colors
- Not the most attractive (rather large)
- No magnification options
- Durability issues
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The Northland Anti-Blue Computer Glasses are another good choice if you are looking to be able to wear a pair of these blue light blocking glasses over top of prescription glasses. And they are a better choice if you are looking for something a little more classy looking.
These are actually FDA approved as a medical device just like the Swannies are. And they are made in the USA by a family owned company which is nice to see I think.
Like most, the lenses are tinted a fairly dark amber color and this allows for 95% absorption of blue light. And since there FDA approved this is a statistic you can trust.
When it comes to the fit they guarantee a “fab fit”. Now I don’t actually know what that is supposed to mean but based on many reviews I have read they seem to fit comfortably and offer a good one-size-fits-all approach.
You will also notice in the image that they or frameless on the bottom edges. This gives you better viewing and is particularly good if you are going to be wearing them while using a computer or such, when you might be constantly glancing down at the keyboard or mouse.
I have read a few reviews of people complaining about the durability of these glasses but nothing to concerning… You will find complaints like this no matter how good the glasses are.
While these glasses can be used whether you have normal glasses or not, I would probably only get these as a pair of blue light blocking glasses to go over top of normal glasses. If you don’t need them to go over top of normal glasses I would probably just go with the Swannies or SPEKTRUM’s.
Included is a hard case, a cleaning cloth, and a soft bag.
Top Picks
There is no “best pair of blue light blocking glasses” because it depends on what you are looking for. Different pairs are good for different people depending on their situation. Because of this I have listed what my pics would be depending on different situations to help guide you in the right direction…
Professional Look with Maximum Blue Light Protection = Swannies Blue Blocker Glasses
If you are looking for a pair that are going to have a professional look with maximum blue light protection than the Swannies are probably going to be your best bet. The Duco PRO glasses are another great choice however if you are looking for something a little less expensive. Both of these glasses have a dark amber tint and offer plenty of blue light protection.
Fit Over-top of Glasses = Northland Anti-Blue Computer Glasses or Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Need a pair of blue light blocking glasses that are going to fit over top of glasses that you already wear? Well then the Northland Anti-Blue Computer Glasses and the Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Glasses are going to be the only two choices on the list and what you choose should be based on your taste. They both offer good protection but look very different.
Inconspicuous Blue Light Blocking Glasses = SPEKTRUM PROSPEK
The SPEKTRUM PROSPEK are going to be the best choice if you are looking for a pair that don’t look strange. These glasses do not have that dark amber tint and did not stand out all that much. But of course the downside to this is that they do not block as much blue light. Another okay choice, but not quite as good, would be the CGID CT12 Blue Light Blocking Glasses.
Who Should Be Wearing Blue Light Blocking Glasses?
If you are part of modern society then grabbing yourself a pair might be worth it. Now if you live on the outskirts of society then this is a different story, but I’m guessing since you are reading this that this is not you.
Pretty much everyone can benefit from a pair. Even if you are on your phone minimal times per day, don’t work on the computer much, don’t play video games etc., you still are probably exposed to much blue light on a daily basis coming from artificial sources.
If you are a gamer, work online like me, or a student who is on the computer a lot, or just someone who is on their phone every chance they get then this is definitely something you should seriously consider. I hear stories all the time about people complaining from having dry itchy eyes, having trouble sleeping at night, etc. and then having it all turn around after getting a good pair of blue light blocking glasses.
When Should You Wear Them?
As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, blue light is not all bad. It is actually necessary for our vision and health so you do need it. Because of this I would not suggest wearing a pair of these glasses around 24/7. Of course this depends on what strength of glasses you get and how much blue light actually block, but as a general rule of thumb don’t wear them around every minute you are awake.
If it is early in the morning or late in the evening, then throw on a pair, or if you are working on your computer and are going to be doing so for a while, but if it’s a nice day out and there is some good sign take them off and absorb some of that good old nature.