- Previous research has suggested that exposure to blue light can disrupt sleep patterns
- Hard-sell tactics have seen sales of blue light protection goggles skyrocket recently
Glasses designed to filter blue light from screens could be a waste of money, research has suggested.
Blue light pumped out by computers, tablets and phones is said to ruin our eyesight by straining us.
But academics from Britain and Australia argue that the glasses, sold at Specsavers, among others, ‘probably’ make no difference.
And their review of 17 studies was bogus with marketing claims that such glasses protect against damage to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
Warnings about the potential dangers of blue light have led to glasses being prescribed more and more since the early 2000s.
Blue light pumped out by computers, tablets and phones is said to ruin our eyesight by straining us. Warnings about the potential dangers of blue light have led to glasses being prescribed more and more since the early 2000s. Hard-sell tactics have also seen sales of the lenses soar in recent years, especially in the early days of the pandemic when screen time imploded. Office workers have also been encouraged to buy themselves a pair, which can cost as little as £8 to a whopping £280
Academics from Britain and Australia claim that the glasses, sold at Specsavers, among others, ‘probably’ make no difference. Their review of 17 trials rejected marketing claims that such glasses protect against damage to the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye
Hard-sell tactics have also seen sales of the lenses soar in recent years, especially in the early days of the pandemic when screen time imploded.
Office workers have also been encouraged to buy themselves a pair, which can cost up to £280. Some sunglasses also have a blue light coating.
But lead researcher Professor Laura Downie from the University of Melbourne said: ‘People should be aware of these findings when deciding whether to buy glasses.
“Our findings do not support the prescription of blue light filtering lenses to the general population.”
Some research has suggested that exposure to blue light late at night can disrupt sleep patterns.
Studies have shown that reducing it can improve sleep quality, concentration and mood, while reducing eye strain.
But Professor Downie said: ‘We found that there may be no short-term benefits of using blue light filtered lenses to reduce visual fatigue associated with computer use compared to non blue light filtered lenses.
“It is also currently unclear whether these lenses affect vision quality or sleep-related outcomes.
“And no conclusions could be drawn about possible longer-term effects on retinal health.”
She added: “The results of our review, based on the best available evidence, show that the evidence for these claims is inconclusive and uncertain.”
The amount of blue light emitted by screens is small compared to sunlight.
Also, specially designed lenses filter out up to 25 percent of light, experts say.
The review, which spanned six countries and included hundreds of participants, was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
The trials assessed lasted up to five weeks.
The research team, including experts from City, University of London and Monash University acknowledged that they could not account for ‘possible longer-term outcomes’.
Dr Sumeer Singh, fellow author, said more studies are needed.
He added: ‘The amount of blue light our eyes receive from artificial sources, such as computer screens, is about one-thousandth of what we get from natural daylight.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that lenses that filter blue light typically filter out about 10 to 25 percent of blue light, depending on the specific product.
“To filter out higher levels of blue light, the lenses would have to have a distinct amber tint, which would have a substantial effect on color perception.”