I like to think that my screen time isn’t too excessive. But with classes transitioning from in-person to online, it was inevitable that the majority of my day was spent sitting in front of my computer. Needless to say, I can’t say I was too surprised when after a few months of online classes, I began to experience daily headaches.
I first heard about blue light glasses from my roommates. Three of my friends had begun using them at the beginning of the semester and they said that they no longer got headaches. I initially had no intention of getting a pair for myself, but after experiencing a migraine that lasted three whole days, I was desperate. Backed by scientific evidence or not, I knew I had to give these glasses a try.
I ordered my glasses off of Amazon for less than ￥2,500, or roughly 25 USD. Upon arrival, I found that my package contained not only my blue light glasses but also a mini “blue light” flashlight to test the effectiveness of the lenses. I admit I was a little skeptical but found that the glasses did in fact filter out the blue light, exactly like they claimed to do. Now all that was left to do was put them to the final test: my computer screen.
It’s been roughly four months since I began using my glasses and I can say that I haven’t experienced a single migraine since. My eye strain unfortunately remains, but I believe that it’s inevitable considering how much I’ve been using my computer nowadays. Although there is little to no medical evidence that supports the claim that blue light glasses do in fact protect our eyes from screens, I believe they’re worth a try if you’ve been experiencing headaches or eye strain as a result of your screen time. Nowadays they’re not even that difficult to come by. In Japan, the majority of eyewear brands even have the option to add blue light filtering to your prescription glasses. Filtering comes in two types: blue light absorption or deflection. Of course, it’s possible to get non-prescription blue light glasses as well.
Who knows? It could be a placebo, but they might just be the solution. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to try.