Do blue light glasses work? Let’s hear from the experts.

February 23 20:39 2021
Dr. Pingel of Mission EyeCare in Kansas City and Lawrence explains.

During the pandemic, many children spending more time on screen, exposed to blue light.

It has parents wondering about blue light filter glasses. There are hundreds of options online.

Many children have been on their phones or computers, scrolling or learning, a lot more than usual in the last year. So they have been exposed to a lot of blue light. It has a lot of parents wondering about blue light filtering glasses. There are hundreds of options online, like Amazon for 15$. You just need to know what to shop for.

Parents started to get worried about all the screen time they were getting. But during the pandemic, they didn’t know what to do. Then school started up, and virtual learning was the only option, and so that concluded to more time on the iPad or laptop to do school and homework. Anabelle Miller, eight years old, and her brothers, six-year-old George, and 4-year-old Henry, love their screen time. Two out of three of the kids were on their school-issued pads just about all day. Mother Michelle felt super guilty about all that screen time, though. So she decided to be proactive and get them some blue light glasses. She felt it was at least one negative issue she could cut out.

Optometrist Jason Pingel with Mission EyeCare says that more and more parents ask him about these blue light glasses technology since the pandemic started. He says that they have noticed that digital usage has gone up every year, more people are working on computers more than ever before. Dr. Pingel says blue light wavelengths emitted from the sun are good for you, but too much blue light from your phones or screens can be harmful. It can lead to eye strain, headaches, fatigue, or even insomnia and can even lead to more eye problems further on. Doing what we can from letting the blue light into our eyes can help prevent macular degeneration and push off Cataracs to later years.

Buying blue light glasses is super inexpensive but can be tricky because not all really block the blue light. You are looking for a yellowish tint, a strong indication that it will block this blue light. If you can’t buy blue light glasses, Dr. Pingel says to practice the 20/20/20 rule. That is for every 20 minutes of near work, take 20 seconds to look at something 20 feet away. Give yourselves regular breaks. Annabelle says since using the blue light glasses, her eyes do not hurt anymore, so that’s the good part.

Dr. Marion Pierson with the Village Pediatrics hospital says that the academy of pediatrics has not released a statement that children need blue light filtered glasses but that your child’s posture while using computer and devices. That your screen is at a neutral position, not too high, not too low, but eye level to not cause neck strain. You also want to have it a foot or two in distance from your child’s face.

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Company Name: Mission EyeCare
Contact Person: Dr. Jason Pingel
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Phone: (913) 262-3937
Country: United States