Short answer: yes, TVs give off blue light. Every LED, QLED and OLED screen makes white light partly from blue light. But you sit much farther from a TV than from a phone, so far less of that light reaches your eyes. During the day, there's little reason to filter it. In the evening, what matters is the total light around you, from the TV, your phone and the room. If you want to cut blue light in the two to three hours before bed, an orange or red lens does that; clear and yellow lenses let too much through.
Below: how much blue light a TV gives off, when glasses for TV are worth it, and which lens to choose.
Does TV Have Blue Light?
Yes. Modern TVs use LED backlights or OLED pixels, and both produce blue light as part of making white and every other color on screen. Older plasma and tube TVs gave off blue light too. So do phones, laptops, tablets and most LED bulbs in your home.
The sun is by far the biggest source of blue light. Screens give off much less, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology says the light from screens doesn't damage the eyes.
Is TV Blue Light Different From Phone Blue Light?
The light is the same kind; the dose is different. Light spreads out as it travels, so a TV across the room delivers far less light to your eyes than a phone held a foot from your face, even though the TV screen is much bigger and brighter.
How you watch matters too. A bright TV in a dark room stands out more than the same TV in a lit room, and many people watch TV with a phone in their hand as well.
Do You Need Blue Light Glasses for Watching TV?
During the day: not really. There's no evidence that TV blue light harms your eyes, and daytime blue light helps keep you alert.
In the evening: this is where they can make sense. Bright, blue-rich light in the evening can delay the rise of melatonin, the hormone that tells your body it's getting dark. A TV on its own is a modest source, but TV plus overhead lights plus a phone adds up. An orange or red lens cuts most of that blue light at once, whatever it comes from.
What About Tired Eyes?
Watching TV is usually easier on the eyes than close-up screen work, because your eyes focus at a distance and you tend to blink normally. If your eyes feel tired or dry after a long session, the usual causes are staying up late, a very bright screen in a dark room, or dry air, not blue light. A 2023 Cochrane review found blue light filtering glasses probably make no difference to eye strain in the short term.
Simple fixes help more:
- Keep a lamp on behind or beside the TV so the screen isn't the only light in the room
- Turn down the TV's brightness in the evening, or switch off any "vivid" picture mode
- Use your TV's warm color setting, or its "eye comfort" or night mode if it has one
- Sit a comfortable distance from the screen
Which Lens to Wear for TV
Here's how our lenses compare, as measured by Micro-Light Optics:
- Clear (InvisiAid): blocks 35% across 400–500nm, 86% light transmission. Colors look natural; not enough for the evening.
- Yellow (ScreenAid): blocks 60% across 400–500nm, 79% light transmission. A warmer picture for daytime viewing; still lets through around 40% of blue light.
- Orange (SleepAid): blocks 99% across 380–550nm, 48% light transmission. The one for evening TV in the two to three hours before bed.
- Red (SleepAidMax): blocks 99.7% across 380–580nm, 22% light transmission. For the last hour before sleep.
Orange and red lenses change how the picture looks: everything takes on a strong warm cast. Most people get used to it for an evening show, but it's not how the director intended the colors. They're also not for driving, so take them off before you head out.
How to Choose a Pair
- A measured figure: look for a blocking percentage with the wavelength range it applies to, not just "blocks blue light".
- Comfort: for a long movie on the couch, a light frame that doesn't press when you lean your head back matters.
- If you wear glasses: a clip-on or fit-over pair works over your own glasses, or ask your optometrist about a blue light filter on your prescription lenses.
- UV protection: all our lenses are UV400.
FAQs About Blue Light Glasses for TV
Do TVs Have Blue Light Filters?
Many do, under names like "eye comfort", "night mode" or a warm color temperature setting. They shift the picture toward warmer colors, but they don't cut blue light from your phone or the room lights.
Is It Bad to Watch TV Before Bed?
It's less about the TV than about the whole evening: bright room lights, a phone in your hand and late nights all add up. Dim the lights, lower the TV brightness and keep a regular bedtime. An orange lens is an easy way to cut most blue light while you watch.
Do I Need Them If I Already Wear Glasses?
You can use a clip-on or fit-over pair, or ask your optometrist about a filter on your prescription lenses.
Will They Change How the TV Looks?
Clear lenses: hardly at all. Yellow: slightly warmer. Orange and red: a strong warm cast, which is the trade-off for cutting almost all blue light.
How Far Should I Sit From the TV?
Wherever is comfortable to see the whole screen without turning your head. Sitting close doesn't damage your eyes, but a more comfortable distance is easier on them over a long session.
Conclusion
TVs do give off blue light, but at a distance far less reaches your eyes than from a phone, and it doesn't harm them. Glasses for TV make the most sense in the evening, when an orange or red lens cuts most blue light from the TV, your phone and the room in the two to three hours before bed. During the day, a warmer TV setting and a lamp in the room do more for comfort than glasses.
Shop SleepAid orange lens glasses or use the Lens Finder. For evening routines, see how long to wear blue light glasses before bed.
