Will Blue Light-Blocking Glasses Help With Eye Strain?

It’s no secret that most of us use devices continuously throughout our day. This can lead to computer eye strain and tired, dry eyes after a long day. Digital screens emit blue light, which can damage your eyes. It also can affect your sleep schedule as it disrupts your circadian rhythm, which tells you when you should go to sleep and when to be awake. While most of us cannot escape using devices, our team at Baton Rouge Eye Physicians can offer professional treatments to patients in Baton Rouge, LA at a comprehensive eye exam that focuses on treating their dry eyes. During this visit, we can also discuss blue-light blocking glasses and whether they are beneficial to your eye health.

Are blue-blocking lenses worth it?

Blue light blocking glasses are lenses that supposedly block or filter out blue light from screens. They claim to protect your eyes from glare and to reduce retinal damage from long-term exposure. While you may experience eye discomfort after using them, it isn’t caused entirely by the blue light. Our ophthalmologists don’t think that blue-blocking lenses reduce eye strain. During a visit to our Baton Rouge, LA office, we can offer our patients tips on how to best protect their eyes from eye strain and dry eye syndrome.

What is digital eye strain?

Also known as computer vision syndrome, this is caused by constantly shifting your focus and moving your eyes across screens. Some eye strain symptoms include:

Blurry vision
Chronic headaches
Dry or tired eyes
Neck or shoulder pain

Most of the time, these symptoms are caused by glare, improper viewing distance, poor posture or lighting, or refractive errors that haven’t been corrected yet. Our doctors can provide eye strain relief to those suffering from these symptoms.

Diagnosing eye strain

At Baton Rouge Eye Physicians, we examine your eyes during an eye exam. We also ask questions about your medical history and any symptoms you’re experiencing. Next, we take visual acuity measurements that assess your current vision. Testing how your eyes focus and move together helps us to detect problems where your eyes cannot work together, which leads to eye strain.

How to protect your eyes while using computers

Our doctors in Baton Rouge, LA recommend our patients follow these tips to help reduce eye strain symptoms, including:

Use eye drops to keep your eyes lubricated while you’re looking at a screen.
Sit at least 25 inches away from your screen because sitting too close can cause digital eye strain.
Practice the 20/20/20 rule. This means that every 20 minutes, you will look at something 20 feet away from you for at least 20 seconds.

There hasn’t been enough research to determine if blue-blocking lenses can, in fact, reduce eye strain. The best way to ensure your eyes stay healthy is to follow good screen habits from our doctors.

Learn how to treat computer eye strain near me

At Baton Rouge Eye Physicians, our vision professionals can give you professional advice on how to relieve eye strain symptoms. Our comprehensive eye exams can diagnose and treat digital eye strain in patients throughout Baton Rouge, LA. You don’t have to live with dry or tired eyes anymore. Allow our team to help you protect your vision by scheduling an eye exam today.