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Jul 14, 2023

The 8 Best Blue

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By Kimberly Goad

You could be forgiven for thinking a pair of blue-light-blocking eyeglasses is your free pass to indulge in as much screen time as you can squeeze into a day. And while the verdict is only partially in as to whether they actually reduce eye strain, there is research to suggest that certain blue-light-blocking glasses may help with sleep.

Blue light affects the body’s circadian rhythm—our natural wake and sleep cycle. During the day, the sun’s blue light wakes us up and stimulates us. But too much blue light exposure at night—from your phone, tablet, computer or any other digital screen—can get in the way of a good night’s sleep. That’s where blue light glasses come in.

Which ones actually work? A study published in 2022 looked at 50 pairs of blue-light-blocking glasses (some of which are featured in our picks below). “In nearly all cases, the orange and red lenses blocked virtually all the light that impacts circadian rhythms and sleep,” says the study’s lead author Michael Grandner, Ph.D., director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson. Red lenses blocked more light, the study found, but orange lenses are “likely more tolerable to wear” for long periods of time, Dr. Grandner told Buy Side, since they block fewer wavelengths of light. (Scroll down for more details about what to look for when selecting blue-light-blocking glasses.)

Here are glasses of varying shades that correspond to that criteria—and look attractive enough to wear at home and at the office. Pro tip: Blue-light-blocking glasses can be an easy way to spend down your FSA account, too.

$28 at Amazon

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Orange-tinted glasses block out 99% of blue light but let in more non-circadian light than red-tinted lenses, “so they’re a little easier to wear,” says Dr. Grandner. Not only do the amber lenses on these aviators block sleep-disrupting light at night, but they’re also designed to protect your eyes against harmful UV rays during the day. The frames, which were featured in Dr. Grandner’s study, are available in small, medium, and large sizes.

$85 at Amazon

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These classic tortoiseshell glasses, also featured in the study, come in three sizes—small, regular, and large—to ensure an all-but-custom fit at the temples and on the bridge of your nose. And the amber lenses check the blue-light-blocking box. “For circadian purposes, the lenses really need to be orange [or] amber,” says Cathy Goldstein M.D., a clinical professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center.

$35 at Amazon

$40 Save $5

The orange lenses on this pair from Spectra479 not only block out 99.82 % of sleep-disrupting light, according to the brand, but the wraparound style also keeps out peripheral light as well. Plus the frames are lightweight and flexible, designed to fit a wide range of head sizes. They also come at a nice price. As Dr. Grandner notes in his study of blue-light glasses: “The $10 lenses performed just about as well as the $100 lenses if they were the same color.”

$145 at Felix Gray

Although the amber lenses on the Roebling style from Felix Gray move them into the blue-light-blocking category, it’s worth noting that they aren’t as dark as those that are considered most effective. On the other hand, the lighter color means they don’t distort your color perception the way some blue glasses do. They have an anti-glare coating and are available in non-prescription and prescription options, as well as reading glasses.

$145 at Felix Gray

This pick from Felix Gray has the same light amber lenses, while the frames are specifically designed to accommodate people with a lower nose bridge for a more comfortable fit. “The typical side effect of wearing glasses in general is discomfort on the bridge of the nose,” says Dr. Goldstein, making these a solid option.

$30+ at Zenni Optical

Zenni says both its clear Blokz lenses and yellow-tinted Blokz Plus lenses have “an advanced blue-light-blocking polymer that is incorporated directly into the lens.” But it’s the Blokz Plus lenses that offer 12 times more blue light protection from digital devices, as compared to the standard Blokz lenses, according to the company. Both are available in prescription and non-prescription lenses and readers.

$145 at Warby Parker

The science is about as clear as the lenses on this stylish cat-eye style that amber, orange and red lenses are most effective at blocking blue light. But if you’re looking for a completely clear option, the brand says these lenses are designed to filter out blue light. Since they’re available in non-prescription options, there’s no harm in trying them, especially since Warby Parker offers a 30-day trial period.

“A general rule of thumb is that if you wear the glasses and you can see the colors blue or green, they aren’t blocking all the light that can impact sleep and circadian rhythms,” says Dr. Grandner. That said, Warby Parker’s frames are undoubtedly stylish.

$145 at Warby Parker

The clearer the lens, the less effective they may be at blocking sleep-disrupting light. But, as Dr. Grandner points out, there’s a psychological component to wearing any pair of blue blockers at night. If you put them on two hours before bedtime—the time frame recommended by sleep experts—night after night, eventually your brain will take that as a cue to wind down and get ready for sleep, he says. To that end, the hip-meets-bookish Alvin frames—which are blue-light-filtering, according to Warby Parker—just might get the job done.

The popularity of blue-light-blocking glasses has sparked a debate in the medical community. Ask an ophthalmologist, and you’ll likely hear they don’t really help when it comes to eye strain. A recent study in the “American Journal of Ophthalmology” shows blue-light-blocking lenses are no different than standard clear lenses in terms of reducing eye strain from too much screen time. (In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology declines to endorse the wearing of blue-light-blocking glasses—or any eyeglasses, for that matter—to prevent eye strain.)

When it comes to sleep, however, there may be actual benefits to the glasses, if you can find the sweet spot between dark enough lenses and wearability. Notes Dr. Grandner about his study: “The dark lenses blocked a lot of the correct wavelengths of light, but were so dark that they may be more difficult to wear.” That, alone, may guide your selection process. How do the lenses actually help? Exposure to artificial blue light in the evening “can make us more alert, due in part to the suppression of melatonin,” the sleep hormone, says Dr. Goldstein. The blue-light-blocking glasses that actually filter out blue light do so by absorbing the blue wavelength light to stop it from ever reaching your eyes.

At the end of the day—literally—when it comes to blue-light-blocking glasses, the “evidence for their use is limited,” says Ashley Brissette, M.D., an ophthalmologist and assistant professor of ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. But she adds: “If you find they make a difference, there is no harm in using them.” Her main advice is no surprise: “Avoid screens in the late evening.”