Can you disagree if I say that your mobile phone has become your extended hand by now? I hope you cannot. Digital devices have become our extended hands. Even, our current conversation is happening through a digital screen. Thus, all of us spend a good amount of time glued to our computer and mobile screens. This prolonged screen time has the potential to affect our eyes and vision negatively.
To address this issue, we have two types of glasses available in the market: Computer glasses and Blue light glasses. Though they are meant to protect our eyes, most of us are not aware of how they differ in purpose.
Through this blog, we will get a compact idea about computer glasses and blue light glasses. Consequently, you will be able to learn the differences between the two.
What are Computer Glasses?
Computer glasses are glasses with magnification power to relieve eye strain while looking at the computer screen. This magnification property releases muscle tension inside and outside the eye. The key objective of computer glasses is to reduce eyestrain when using digital screens.
Computer glasses are similar to reading glasses. However, these glasses perform well when the screen is roughly about 25 inches away from your face. Meanwhile reading glasses are specialized for objects closer to 15 inches.
Benefits of Computer Glasses
- Reduce Eye Strain
The magnification property significantly relaxes the muscles in and around the eyes. Thus, by using computer glasses, your eyes will find it easy to retain focus on the screen obviating the need for constant refocusing. As a result, your eyes will not have to strain.
- Block Glare
Glare and reflections are the main culprits of discomfort when you look at the computer. It causes strain to your eyes. Recognizing this issue, manufacturers came up with computer glasses with anti-reflective properties. This coating minimizes glare and reduces reflections. Further, by wearing these glasses, you can look at the screen without squinting.
- Computer glass is a blue light protector too
One of the prominent features of computer glasses is the provision to include a blue light filter. Blue light may damage your eyes. Hence, computer glasses with blue light filters will save you from the risk of eye damage.
- Computer glasses and decentered pupillary distance
Decentered pupil distance is a measurement that takes into account the distance between each pupil’s center and the associated lens’s center in computer glasses. It is important for achieving peak visual performance and minimizing eye fatigue. While we look at computer screens, our eyes often focus on particular areas that may not align with the lens’s center. If the pupillary distance is not given due importance, the center of the lens may not align with our pupils. It causes eye strain. To remedy this, computer glasses can be made with a decentralized pupillary distance that ensures a comfortable viewing experience and minimized eye strain.
What are Blue light glasses?
Before discussing blue light glasses, let’s look at blue light in particular.
Though we always link blue light with computer and cell phone screens, sunlight is the main source of blue light. There are other sources of blue light like fluorescent light, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and LED light. Moreover, the amount of blue light exposure we get from screens is comparatively less than that from the sun.
Blue light has the potential to stimulate us during the day. However, getting exposed to too much blue light will make it difficult for us to sleep. So, blue light negatively affects our circadian rhythm or the regular sleep cycle. Similarly, blue light in the nighttime can prevent your body from producing melatonin which induces sleep.
Blue light glasses are designed with filtering surface coatings on the lenses to filter the blue light emitted from digital screens. Their blue light filters reduce the quantity of blue light that enters your eyes. Thus they aim to shield you from problems including lack of sleep and dry eyes that occur due to prolonged screen time.
Benefits of blue light glasses
- Prevents eye strain due to blue light exposure
Wearing blue light glasses reduces the high energy blue light exposure and relieves you of eye strain and other discomforts like itching and irritation
- Helps to get quality sleep
When your brain mistakes blue light for daytime, it can affect your sleep. If you wear blue light glasses while using digital devices before bedtime, you can reduce the blue light exposure and enjoy a good night’s sleep.
- Prevents dry eyes
Prolonged screen time may be making your eyes dry. Wearing blue light-filter glasses will help you enjoy your screen time more without worrying about dry eyes.
Two types of blue light glasses
You can select two types of blue light glasses; one for daytime and one for nighttime. Daytime blue light glasses are as clear as computer glasses. Meanwhile, nighttime glasses have colored lenses
Daytime blue light glasses minimize the eye strain and tiredness you get when you look at screens for a prolonged time. These glasses have a coating to filter a portion of blue light. But they allow other lights to pass through.
On the other hand, nighttime blue light glasses come with tinted lenses with colors like red or orange. They block the entire blue light and are meant to wear while you use digital devices before your bedtime. Thus it promotes the quality of your sleep.
Let’s compare computer glasses and blue light glasses
Blue light and computer glasses have different objectives. While computer glasses are made to address various issues that lead to digital eye strain, blue light glasses are designed to ward off the negative effects of blue light. Though blue light glasses may have a blue light filter, they do not possess any extra eye protective features
Which one should you choose?
You should be clear about your needs before purchasing the glasses. Accordingly, you can select the one that fulfills your objective. If you are reeling under digital eye strain, you can go for computer classes. Moreover, computer glasses offer a combination of anti-glare coatings and blue-light filters. Thus, you have the option to get computer glasses with blue light filters. Further, if you are more worried about blue light hindering your sleep cycle, you can go for blue light filter glasses.
Wrapping up
Ultimately, both computer glasses and blue light glasses help to have healthy eyes. Therefore, they aid in maintaining a clear vision. However, when it comes to eye care, it is advisable to consult an eye specialist. If you use a prescription glass, before ordering your blue light and computer glasses online, make an appointment with her. Last but not least, choose your high-quality glasses from Lens League to adorn your eyes.