Do Blue Light Glasses Help With Dry Eyes?

If you’re glued to screens for hours, it’s normal to get dry, scratchy eyes and tired vision. This happens because while looking at a screen, we tend to blink less and expose our eyes to the high-intensity blue light. 

Wearing blue light glasses can help you blink more naturally, reduce screen glare, and ease eye strain. Many scientific studies back the protective power of these glasses. 

In this guide, we’ll talk about:

• How screens can affect your eyes
• How blue light glasses help
• And simple ways to keep your eyes healthy

Let’s dive in. 

Why Screens Make Eyes Dry and Tired?

When you focus on a screen, whether it’s a phone or a computer screen, two things happen:

You Blink Less

Did you know that our normal blink rate is 15 - 20 times per minute? But when we’re glued to a screen, it drops by more than half. 

Fewer blinks allow tears to evaporate faster than usual, leaving your eyes dry and scratchy. 

Blue Light Adds Strain

Screens emit high-energy blue light that can stress surface cells and make the tear layer unstable. 

As a result, your eye muscles work harder to focus, leading to fatigue and even headaches. 

So, if your eyes feel dry and tired at the end of the day, less blinking and blue light might be the reason. 

What is Blue Light?

Blue light is a part of the broader white light spectrum. It has a wavelength of about 400 - 500 nm. 

We get blue light from:

• The sun 
• LED screens (Phones, TVs, laptops, tablets)

The light that comes from the Sun serves a purpose. It keeps us alert and awake during the day. 

But if you keep exposing yourself to it after sunset in the form of LED screens, you end up disturbing your sleep cycle. 

This is because blue light can interfere with melatonin production, the sleep hormone, making you stay up late.

As a result, your eyes don’t get enough rest, and dryness and irritation build up the next morning. 

How Blue Light Can Hurt Your Tears

Let’s explore how blue light plays its part in making your eyes dry and tired. 

Damage The Tear Film Cells

The front part of your eye is called the cornea. It has tiny hair-like structures called microvilli, which evenly spread tears across your eye and keep it moist. 

However, blue light can damage these microvilli, and when these structures are disturbed, your tears don’t distribute evenly, causing dryness and discomfort. 

Raise Inflammation 

Blue light can penetrate deep into the eye and damage cells, leading to inflammation in tissues that produce tears. 

Research indicates that excessive blue light exposure can cause oxidative stress and contribute to conditions like dry eye disease. 

Scatter Inside the Eye

Due to its shorter wavelength than other lights in the spectrum, blue light scatters inside the eye, causing glare. 

Glare can make it uncomfortable to look at screens and reduce your blinking rate. This can cause dryness since blinking is important for distributing tears across your eyes. 

How Blue Light Glasses Help

Blue light glasses can help with several eye-related issues associated with prolonged screen time. 

Shields Tear Layer

The tear film is a thin external layer on the eye that keeps it moist. Exposure to high-energy blue light can destabilize this layer, causing dryness and irritation. 

Blue light glasses filter out the dangerous blue wavelength of light, keeping the tear layer stable. 

Cuts Glayer

Many blue light glasses come with anti-reflective coatings, reducing stray reflections and glare. Less glare means your eyes can blink more naturally. 

Eases Focus

Yellow-tinted blue light glasses make reading text easier on the eyes. In a radiology study, blue light glasses were found to lower eye strain and dry-eye discomfort. 

Supports Nighttime Rest

Restful eyes are less likely to get dry. But for that, you need a good night's sleep. 

Blue light exposure in the evening can get in the way of normal melatonin production (The hormone that makes us sleepy). 

When you block this blue wavelength after sunset, you allow yourself to relax and sleep early, waking up refreshed. 

Adopt Healthy Screen-Time Habits

To get the most out of your blue light glasses, adopt these healthy screen-time habits:

• Use the 20-20-20 Rule: Give your eyes a quick rest by looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds after every 20 minutes
• Blink More Often: Help your eyes spread tears evenly by forcing yourself to blink every now and then
• Try Eye Drops: Keep an over-the-counter lubricating eye drop in case your eyes get dry and uncomfortable

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions related to blue light glasses and your eye health.

How Do Blue Light Glasses Help With Dry Eyes?

Blue light can damage the tear film cells of your eyes and cause inflammation, leading to dryness. Blue light glasses block most of this harsh light, protecting your eyes from the damaging effects. 

Can Wearing Blue Light Glasses Help Overall Eye Health?

Yes, these glasses effectively protect your eyes against blue light, reducing strain and dryness and helping you sleep on time.

Can Blue Light Glasses Reduce Eye Strain?

Yes, they filter glare and soften the light that reaches your eyes, helping you blink more often, which eases strain. 

Are Blue Light Glasses Safe for Kids and Teens?

Yes, they’re safe. In fact, they can help promote normal sleep and reduce eye fatigue that comes with excessive screen use.

Are There Any Side Effects of Wearing Blue Light Glasses?

There are no significant side effects of wearing these glasses. However, you might notice a slight color tint, which can take some getting used to. 

Conclusion 

If you’re glued to digital screens for hours daily, your eyes may feel dry, irritated, and uncomfortable. 

Blue light glasses might be just what you need. They block the harsh blue light, protecting your eyes from its damaging effects. 

In this post, we talked about how blue light can mess with your tear film and increase inflammation, which can lead to dryness. 

We also discussed how wearing protective glasses can reduce glare from screens, improve focus, and help you sleep better. 

While these glasses aren’t a cure-all, many people notice positive results after wearing them, especially during long screen sessions. So, if your eyes feel dry or irritated, it might be time to give blue light glasses a try.