I spend a lot of my time in front of digital screens. The second I wake up, I reach for my phone to skim emails, text my friends back, and open morning streak snaps. When I get to class, I stare at PowerPoints displayed on huge projector screens. At work and back at my dorm, I’m glued to my Mac. I use screens to do my homework, study, work on projects for my job, complete tasks for the clubs I’m in, scroll through social media, FaceTime my mom, treat myself to some mini Hulu binges, and more.
All of that digital screen usage inevitably takes a toll on the eyes. As a college student, many reasons factor into my constant fatigue, but I can only assume that the blue light coming from my phone, iPad, and laptop only adds to the harm.
Last year, when I took two 200-person lectures, I sat right in front of a huge projector for 75 minutes twice a week for two semesters. The material wasn’t exactly interesting, but it also wasn’t boring enough to put me to sleep in the afternoon. While I admit that the post-lunch afternoon slump is very real, I shouldn’t have fallen asleep as often as I did during the lectures. After a few weeks of repeatedly hitting my head against the desk halfway through riveting discussions about supply and demand, I decided to do some research.
I discovered blue light blocking glasses— ranging from under-$20 pairs on Amazon to more expensive, triple-digit Warby Parker frames.
After a few days of online browsing, I decided on Privé Revaux frames. They’re really affordable, at $29.95 a pop, and still not the cheapest ones out there (which irrationally makes me feel better?). The more I read about the brand, the more I liked it. Fancy French name? Love it. A team of celebrity visionaries, including Jamie Foxx, Ashley Benson, and Hailee Steinfeld? Amazing. A direct-to-consumer disruptive brand? A huge variety of stylish frames? I was all over it.
I bought The MVP, a pair of limited edition color-blocked frames with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
And I loved them. This is kind of a big deal— I’m supposed to wear glasses all the time for my lazy eye, but I don’t. I’m not a big glasses person, but I found myself wearing my MVPs more often than not. I could stay awake during my macroeconomics lecture and I found myself feeling tired less and less.
They took some getting used to. Like night mode, they made everything more yellow. And like all glasses, I had to periodically wipe off smudges and massage the bridge of my nose after hours of wearing them. But they were doing what I wanted them to: reducing my eye strain and making me less tired.
My blue light blocking glasses definitely takes the cake for my #1 college investment. Calling all digital screen addicts— grab a pair of these frames!
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