I Wore Blue Light-Blocking Glasses for a Week and Here's What Happened

As a writer by both trade and hobby, I'd estimate that I spend at least nine hours a day diligently staring at a computer screen, and whatever little downtime I have left is spent equally diligently staring at my smartphone (like any self-disrespecting millennial).

After reading an article about the effects of blue light on eye health, I started to get worried — and rightly so, it turns out. "As our lives become more interconnected and interdependent on technology, we are exposed to more blue light and doctors of optometry are working to ensure patients have simple tools to manage exposure and to protect their vision," says Dr. Andrea P. Thau, former president of the American Optometric Association. As for the specific effects? Well, the AOA states that "overexosure to blue light can cause digital eye strain leading to sleep disorders and even age-related vision problems for some patients," also adding that common digital eye strain symptoms include "headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, neck and shoulder pain and eye irritation."

So, armed with this (slightly scary) information, I decided to go out and get myself some blue light-blocking-glasses, stat. "Blue light-blocking or blue light filter eyeglasses can protect your eyes from the blue light beaming from your screen," the AOA says. "These lenses reduce the amount of blue light entering the eye as well as reducing glare." I wore them (fairly religiously) for about a week and a half to see what they were like — here are my takeaways.

Image via Imaxtree