I get asked about blue light blocking glasses more than anything else. It’s a topic I am deeply uninterested in, so here’s a thread about blue blocking (BB) glasses so that maybe I will never be asked about them again.

Advertisements for BB glasses focus on 3 selling pts:

#1 improve sleep: This is the only potential benefit. Blue light can screw up melatonin levels, so buying these to help you sleep is defensible, OR just don’t stare at your phone before bed. Lmao I’m kidding that’s impossible

#2 reduce eye strain: Ah yes, it’s blue light, a color found everywhere that’s causing strain, not the fact that we hold our devices 10 in from our faces for days nonstop. Take breaks. Blink a little. This will help with headaches/fatigue from eye strain way more than BB glasses.

#3 prevent eye disease: To me, this is the most egregious selling tactic. There’s no basis for this claim. Overexposure to UV light from the sun causes all kinds of eye damage, but no studies suggest the little bit of blue light from your computer does any damage to your eyes.

So should you buy blue light blocking glasses? I say don’t waste your money. The @aao_ophth would agree with me. They won’t harm you, they just won’t do the thing you’re probably buying them to do.