Blue Light Glasses – Let's Separate Fact from Fiction

There was once a time when glasses were only worn by those who needed them. Labelled four-eyes, bespectacled followers-of-fashion lamented the industry’s refusal to recognise the ornamental potential of glasses that transcended their role as medical devices. Labels, it seemed, turned a blind eye to the goldmine that is now the designer glasses industry, and wearers were forced to wait for glasses to finally be noticed as something other than an unseemly distraction from their fashion-forwardness. 

However, since COVID-19, something has shifted. These things that once merely sat upon our face were now a contributing factor to our overall look, framing the features and distracting onlookers from signs of sleep deprivation. Soon enough, TikTok decided that glasses were trendy – something to be proud of. The masses were inspired. Glasses-wearers no longer had to hide their faces in shame. Gone were the days we would ‘forget them home’ and constantly walk into things – a new era was dawning. The ‘four-eyes’ jeerers could jeer no more, and instead had to join us. However, with no prescription, they were stuck, and manufacturers started to scramble: how could they possibly fill this gaping hole in the market? Luckily, science had just the thing.

Credit: Cubitts, Bloobloom, Jimmy Fairly.

Despite being invented in the 1960s and reimagined gradually throughout the 2000s, blue-light glasses only really entered the public sphere in the past half decade. Marketed as an accessory and perhaps even a solution to the 20 years of eye strain we’ve all been victim to, many of us fell under the spell. Looking cool and alleviating migraines? What’s not to like?

Blue-light glasses quickly became the hottest new fashion-meets-wellness status symbol, and brands adapted in tow. Some, like Specsavers and Quay, just reinvented their previous frames – ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. Others, however, sought to design distinct styles that evoke the futuristic, ergonomic, and fashion-forward mantras of blue-light glasses themselves: gone were millennial-era thick-framed goggles, and in came glasses that looked like they were meant to be there. 

Credit: Shutterstock/ Victoria Chudinova.

Now I’ve explored exactly why blue glasses came about, it’s time to delve into whether they actually do anything. The answer is, in an unfortunate blow to our bank accounts, a resounding yes.

Studies show:

1. They help us sleep better.

2. They reduce eye strain and fatigue – very important for those 3am Butts Wynd type of evenings. 

3. They reduce the risk of Glaucoma (an eye disease).

4. They also reduce the risk of SAD.

That’s not to say these are a necessity. They’re certainly not a need, but they’re useful and a healthy want and a good idea for those of us looking for Secret Santa gifts for our sister’s boyfriend. For me, they’re worth the financial hit – now I can work a 20-hour shift on my anthro essay without feeling like I need to bathe my eyes in water from the dryness as a result of the blue light. It looks like I can finally keep up my good grades in style.