Why wear blue light glasses?
We spend a lot of our time looking at screens. Whether for work or leisure, our lives often involve watching TV, looking at laptops, and scrolling on our phones.
As a result of all this screen time, digital eye strain has become all too common.
Dry, tired eyes, difficulty focusing, and headaches are all classic signs of digital eye strain.
In fact, around 65% of Americans experience these symptoms after several hours of screen use. [1]
What causes digital eye strain?
Digital eye strain has been linked to overexposure to the blue light emitted from the screens we use every day.
However, experts have not found any evidence that blue light causes damage to the eyes. The American Academy of Opthalmology even states that blue light glasses don’t need to be worn. [2]
Advice from other experts differs, with some saying that wearing blue light glasses can’t hurt, and yet others saying that it could help relieve eye strain from hours of screentime.
Despite the lack of scientific backing, millions of people continue to experience discomfort and other symptoms associated with digital eye strain.
This has led many to turn to blue light glasses, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.
These glasses work by absorbing blue light and preventing it from entering your eyes.
Many users believe that these glasses help to relieve the strain on their eyes caused by hours spent in front of a screen.
Here we look at Baxter Blue, one of the best brands of blue light glasses, to see what they offer and how their lenses work.
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What are Baxter Blue glasses?
Baxter Blue feature a fashionable range of eyewear that aims to reduce digital eye-strain and symptoms from blue light exposure.
Using their Blue+ ™ technology, their lenses filter out up to 80% of blue light to prevent it from entering your eyes. This filter is not a film or coating added to their lenses but a pigment technology that is embedded within them.
Their glasses also eliminate:
- 100% glare through an anti-reflective coating.
- 100% UVA and UVB light, so you are protected even without your sunglasses.
Baxter Blue have three different ranges of blue light glasses in their collection: blue light (for daytime use), sleep (for pre-bed use), and sunglasses.
This means you can choose the range that best fits your lifestyle.
They have also introduced a Kids range of blue light glasses to address concerns over increased screentime in children’s lifestyles.
Below is a summary of what each range offers.
Blue Light Glasses
These glasses have clear lenses and work to filter out 80% of blue light and 100% UVA and UVB light.
Their Blue Light range has:
- Virtually clear lenses, so they won’t affect your color perception.
- Available in readers which can have reader strengths between +0.5 – +2.0.
Sleep glasses
These are like the Blue Light glasses, but this range is designed to be used in the evenings.
The lenses have a yellow tint, and they work to filter out the specific wavelengths of blue light that impact sleep.
Wavelengths of light between 450-500nm wavelengths can affect the release of melatonin, which is what helps us feel sleepy at bedtime.
Their Sleep range offers:
- Blue light filtering for nighttime use.
- Specifically developed to filter out the 450-500nm blue-light wavelengths that impact melatonin release, to improve your sleep quality.
- Deep protection from blue light with minimal color distortion.
Sunglasses
As well as the 100% protection from UVA and UVB light, Baxter Blue’s sunglasses are also polarized.
This means that glare or color changes are no longer experienced even in areas with extreme sunlight.
Their Sunglasses offer:
- Advanced polarized lens, which means you’ll see better and in full color.
Kids Glasses
As children’s eyes don’t mature until 14-15 years of age, there are some initial indicators that they may be more susceptible to blue light from device screens.
Since screen time is on the rise, some parents have chosen to use blue light glasses as a precaution to reduce the amount of blue light entering their children’s eyes.
Baxter Blue’s Kids range offers the benefits of the Blue Light lenses but using children’s frames.
All glasses come with a sturdy glasses case and cleaning cloth. If you’re shopping in Australia, the free shipping, easy exchanges, and easy returns offered by Baxter Blue makes them worth a try.
They also offer a 12-month manufacturer’s warranty on any defects.
Baxter Blue Review
What are the benefits of Baxter Blue glasses?
All Baxter Blue glasses use their Blue+™ light filter embedded in the lens. This is different from many of their competitors, who use a surface layer or coating on the lens, as their blue light filter.
It also means that their lenses can filter out up to 80% of the highest energy wavelengths linked to digital eye-strain.
Other brands may filter out between 5-40% of blue light wavelengths.
Baxter Blue’s glasses also block out 100% of UVA and UVB light and any glare.
All Baxter Blue glasses offer:
- Blue light filtering for daytime use.
- Anti-reflective coating to reduce glare.
- 100% UVA/UVB protection.
- Available in non-prescription.
- Can be worn all day.
- Super Hydrophobic coating on all lenses to reduce scratches.
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How to Order Baxter Blue Glasses
Baxter Blue offer several innovative features on their website to help you choose the right glasses for you.
These help make it a simple process to pick the right frame design for your face.
By using their sizing guide, you can also read tips about how to choose the best pair of glasses to suit your face shape.
Filter by Face Shape
For every range, you have the option to filter the glasses according to your face shape.
If you already know what glasses suit you best, you can filter by frame shape and color instead.
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Virtual Try-On Feature
Once you have narrowed down your choice of frame, you can use their virtual try-on feature. This uses your computer’s camera to edit the glasses onto your face digitally.
You can also upload a photo if you prefer.
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This makes it easier to tell which glasses would suit you best and you can try on frames from all the ranges.
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Check the measurements
Detailed measurements of the frames are also included.
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Add reading magnification (optional)
From their Blue Light range, you can choose the option of magnifying lenses if you require reading glasses. Once you choose your ideal frame and color, you can then check out.
From there, the delivery process is quick and efficient. Your order will be dispatched within 1-3 working days of your order being placed.
Worldwide shipping
Baxter Blue can ship to anywhere in the world.
Shipping is free in Australia. Prices for international shipping vary from country to country between AU$15-40, and most will arrive within 2-5 business days.
Something to consider is that any taxes or duties imposed by individual countries outside of Australia are not included in your order’s sale price.
You will receive an email after you have purchased your Baxter Blues with a tracking number to track your delivery progress.
How much do Baxter Blue glasses cost?
All Baxter Blue glasses for adults cost $89.00. Glasses in their Kids’ range cost $79.00.
Baxter Blue Pros and Cons
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Baxter Blue Reviews
Baxter Blue glasses scored an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars from a total of 81 people on Facebook.
Users liked the style and comfort of the glasses.
Many customers reported that they helped with their sleep and alleviated digital eye strain symptoms, such as tired eyes and headaches.
Reviewers also mentioned the great customer service provided by the Baxter Blue team.
One user cited having issues with sizing, but since Baxter Blue offers several different frame shapes, frame size details, and a virtual try-on via their website, this issue could be resolved.
Overall, customers were relieved to have found Baxter Blue and were very happy with the experience of wearing their glasses.
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What is blue light, and why is it bad?
Blue light makes up about one-third of the light spectrum, so it exists naturally all around us. Sunlight, for example, is mostly blue light and can have some benefits such as making us feel more awake and helping with memory and brain functions.
Blue light is also emitted from LED TV screens, computer screens, tablets, and smartphones, and its the use of these devices which is on the rise. Almost 60% of Americans use devices for five or more hours a day. [1]
Our eyes are not good at filtering out blue light, which means it can travel straight to the back of the eye, to the retina. The fear is that this might cause damage to the retinal cells or contribute to digital eye strain. [3]
Device screens are also placed quite close to our eyes which may further exacerbate the effect of blue light on the retina.
Although – as mentioned earlier – scientific research has not established a link between blue light and eye damage, some findings have found that children, in particular, may be more susceptible to blue light. Their eyes are less developed and seem to be less able to filter it out. [4]
A more established concern with blue light is that it can also keep us overstimulated and alert for longer than is necessary or healthy.
This can wreak havoc on our sleeping patterns as it can hinder the body’s natural production of melatonin, the hormone that makes us feel sleepy. So screen time could literally be keeping you up at night.
If you’re suffering from digital eye strain or interrupted sleep, blue-light-blocking glasses could be worth trying.
Do blue light glasses actually work?
Blue light glasses are effective at reducing the amount of blue light that enters your eyes. So, they do work.
However, there is currently no research that proves that wearing blue light glasses can improve or protect your eyes’ health. [2]
The College of Optometrists stated that scientific evidence does not support the use of blue light blocking glasses to ease the symptoms of digital eye strain, improve sleep quality, or conserve eye health. [3]
On the other hand, a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health asked a group of adolescent boys to wear orange glasses (which blocked blue light) as they looked at their phones for a few hours before they went to bed.
The boys reported feeling “significantly more sleepy” when they wore blue light-absorbing glasses before bed. This could have been due to their melatonin levels not being suppressed by the blue light from LED-screens. [4]
Another sleep study on adults found similar results. [5]
In terms of digital eye strain, there are also thousands of anecdotal reports from customers of blue light-blocking glasses, who claim they felt relief from eye strain, pain and discomfort after beginning to use them.
So if you suffer from sore, tired eyes, tension headaches, or chronic migraines, blue light glasses could be worth trying.
Although they are not a guaranteed cure for your symptoms, they seem to have given noticeable results to a number of customers. There is also evidence that they could help improve the quality of your sleep if you wear the glasses before bed.
What should you look for in blue light blocking glasses?
The most important features to look for when choosing blue light blocking glasses are: how much blue light is absorbed, the color of the lens, and the glasses’ measurements (fit).
Percentage of blue light blocked
If you want to wear your glasses for long periods of time, you should avoid lenses that are too dark or those which claim to block 100% of blue light.
This is because our eyes still need a certain level of blue light.
Baxter Blue are a good option because their glasses block up to 80% of blue light. This is more than others in the industry that offer 5-40% blue light blocking. At the same time, it allows some blue light through to keep a balance.
Lens color
Lens color is also an important feature to consider when buying blue light blocking glasses.
Many blue-light-blocking glasses appear to be colorless, but they actually have a faint-to-moderate orange tint.
This is because orange lenses block blue light by only letting through light with similar wavelengths, such as orange and red.
Baxter Blue offers both tinted and clear glasses under separate ranges (Sleep and Blue Light), so you can choose the option that works best for you.
Glass measurements or ‘fit’
The difficulty of ordering glasses online is judging which size and shape to get.
If you already have a pair of well-fitting glasses, you can use these to figure out the size and shape that works best for your face.
Some glasses will have three numbers etched into the arms, for example, 50-19-145.
These numbers correspond with the millimeter measurements of the lens width, bridge width, and arm length of your glasses, respectively.
If your glasses don’t have these numbers, you can measure the frames yourself.
The Baxter Blue website gives detailed measurements of their frames and a helpful virtual try-on feature.
In this way, they make it as close as possible to having an in-person fitting.
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Which brand of blue light blocking glasses is best?
There are several good brands of blue light glasses on the market, but many block blue light by placing coatings on the lenses. These tend to block between 5-40% of the blue light that can enter the eyes.
We think Baxter Blue is the best brand of blue light blocking glasses because their proprietary technology is embedded in the lens itself rather than added as a coating. It works to absorb 80% of blue light.
While no one specific brand of blue light blocking glasses can be hailed as the very best, Baxter Blue is one of the better companies to choose from if you’re looking for quality blue light glasses.
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Are Baxter Blue glasses worth it?
Baxter Blue glasses are worth it if you’re looking for blue light glasses to reduce the symptoms of digital eye strain, sleep better at night and reduce the effects of blue light from screens on the eyes.
The scientific evidence states that blue light glasses don’t help relieve symptoms of digital eye strain such as dry or irritated eyes and migraines. So there is no guarantee that they will work.
However, anecdotal evidence from customers seems to disagree, and many users report feeling relief from eye strain by using blue light glasses.
For that reason, if you are suffering from pain or discomfort and believe it is due to your use of digital devices, blue light glasses could be worth a go.
On the other hand, there is more research behind the potential benefits of wearing blue light glasses before bed to help with sleep. And the role blue light plays in human sleep patterns is well documented.
Blue light suppresses the production of melatonin which is what we need to feel sleepy. So it can affect your ability to fall asleep and the quality of sleep you are getting.
By blocking the blue light, blue light glasses could help you sleep better at night.
Over time blue light has been linked to a wide range of symptoms and problems. The only real way to tell if Baxter Blue glasses are worth it for your particular circumstance is to try them out and see how you feel.
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Baxter Blue FAQs
Are Baxter Blue the best blue light blocking glasses?
While no one brand can be said to be the best, Baxter Blue is one of top brands for blue light blocking glasses. They offer high-quality glasses and blue light absorbing lenses that block 80% of blue light.
How long should you wear blue light glasses?
Baxter Blue glasses can be worn all day, but you should limit the length of time you wear the tinted nighttime glasses.
Can blue light glasses damage your eyes?
There is no current evidence suggesting that wearing blue light glasses will damage your eyes.
Should you wear blue light glasses when watching TV?
Yes you could wear them when watching TV, particularly in the evenings. You might find relief by wearing blue light glasses while looking at any type of digital screen, including television.
Can you wear blue light glasses while driving at night?
Blue light glasses are not designed specifically to improve night vision. You should not wear glasses with a yellow/orange tint while driving at night as they could obscure your vision, but wearing the regular clear blue light glasses is fine.
Do blue light glasses hurt your eyes at first?
Blue light glasses shouldn’t hurt your eyes – though if you have never worn glasses before, there could be a slight adjustment period to get used to them.
Should I wear blue light glasses before bed?
Yes – Baxter Blue’s amber-tinted sleep glasses are ideal for use before bed.
Do blue light glasses stop headaches?
Headache prevention is less reported among blue light glasses wearers. However, if your headaches are linked to poor sleeping habits, they could be improved by blue light glasses.
Where is the best place to buy blue light glasses?
Baxter Blue glasses are a good option, and they can be purchased online from their website. Their detailed glass dimension details and virtual fitting room give you confidence that the glasses will fit when they arrive.
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References
- Eyes Overexposed: The Digital Device Dilemma, The Vision Council
- ‘Blue-light filtering ophthalmic lenses: to prescribe or not to prescribe?’ in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics: The journal of the college of optometrists, Laura Downie
- Blue blocking spectacle lenses, The College of Optometrists
- Blue Blocker Glasses as a Countermeasure for Alerting Effects of Evening Light-Emitting Diode Screen Exposure in Male Teenagers, Journal of Adolescent Health
- Amber lenses to block blue light and improve sleep: a randomized trial, Kimberly Burkhart and James R Phelps