The Best Blue Light Blocking Glasses To Protect Your Eyes

Blue light glasses (a.k.a. blue light blocking glasses) have become a must-have accessory, and it’s easy to see why: Between working from home, scrolling on your phone and watching TV, the amount of screen time you’re logging is likely at an all-time high. While there’s limited research on the topic, evidence suggests that blue light emitted from these screens can cause eye strain, headaches and other health issues. The best blue light blocking glasses aim to counteract the effects, protect your vision, reduce eye fatigue and help regulate circadian rhythms, so you sleep better at night.

The best blue light blocking glasses can make screen time less taxing on your eyes.

ILLUSTRATION: FORBES / PHOTO: RETAILERS

Ahead, we consulted with eye care professionals for advice on where to buy the best blue light blocking glasses. Many of the retailers on this list have been tested by the Forbes Vetted staff and contributors who personally wear and highly recommend these glasses for convenient all-day protection.

  • Best Blue Light Glasses Overall: Eyebuydirect
  • Best Affordable Blue Light Glasses: Zenni
  • Best Prescription Blue Light Glasses: Warby Parker
  • Best Blue Light Glasses For Intense Screen Time: Felix Gray
  • Best Blue Light Glasses For Reading: Look Optic
  • Best Designer Blue Light Glasses: GlassesUSA
  • Best Blue Light Glasses For Easy Shopping: Liingo
  • Best Casual Blue Light Glasses: DIFF Eyewear
  • Best Blue Light Glasses For Quick Delivery: Amazon

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Best Blue Light Glasses Overall

Eyebuydirect: Great Variety Of Frames And Lens Customization

Eyebuydirect

Nala Eyeglasses

Prescription option: Yes | Virtual try-on: Yes | Price range: From $25 to $400 | Return policy and warranty: 14 days for returns (refund or replacement) and one-year replacement guarantee against product defects | HSA/FSA accepted: Yes

Eyebuydirect offers four different blue-light-blocking lenses—you can opt to filter out UV light, add a premium anti-glare coating or get transitional lenses for indoor-outdoor use. The brand offers a full year of protection against defects, and in addition to in-house lines, such as Notting Hill (pictured), they carry a stylish selection of other well-known brands (Ray-Ban, Oakley).

Pros:

  • Four types of blue light blocking lenses
  • Wide selection of styles for men, women and kids at a range of prices
  • Two-day delivery is available for selected models

Cons:

  • Short 14-day return policy, and you’re limited to one replacement only

Best Affordable Blue Light Glasses

Zenni: Budget-Friendly Frames For The Whole Family

Zenni Optical

Van Alen Square Eyeglasses

Prescription option: Yes | Virtual try-on: Yes | Price range: From $25 to $100 | Return policy and warranty: 30 days for returns (100% store credit or 50% refund), 30-day replacement warranty and a one-year warranty against defects in the AR coating and photochromic films | HSA/FSA accepted: Yes

Zenni’s line of blue light blocking lenses is called Blokz and glasses start at the low price of $17 per pair. They block blue light as well as UV rays, and Zenni offers the glasses with prescription and non-prescription lenses, as well as sunglasses. The brand also carries a line specifically for gamers.

Pros:

  • Affordable
  • Wide selection of styles
  • Blokz lenses also available for gamers and sunglasses

Cons:

  • Its return policy doesn’t offer full refunds
  • Some reviewers say that quality is inconsistent

Best Prescription Blue Light Glasses

Warby Parker: Stylish Frames For All Your Eye-Care Needs

Warby Parker

Durand Eyeglasses

Prescription option: Yes | Virtual try-on: Yes and home try-on | Price range: From $95 to $300 | Return policy and warranty: 30 days for returns (refund or replacement) and six-month replacement guarantee against scratched lenses | HSA/FSA accepted: Yes, as well as vision insurance

Warby Parker offers blue light blocking lenses on all of its eyewear—prescription or non-prescription frames—for $50. With its home try-on program, you pick five sample pairs to test out for five days to see which suits you best. You can also renew your prescription online with a virtual eye appointment, and take a quiz that matches you with the glasses that are best designed for your face shape, style and needs.

Pros:

  • Virtual style quiz and home try-on
  • Virtual test to renew prescriptions
  • Works with a variety of insurance companies

Cons:

  • No models for children
  • Some reviewers say that lenses scratch easily

Best Blue Light Glasses For Intense Screen Protection

Felix Gray: Proprietary Technology Filters 15 Times More Blue Light

Felix gray

Volta Blue Light Glasses

Prescription option: Yes, and magnification | Virtual try-on: Yes | Price range: From $95 to $160 | Return policy and warranty: 30 days for returns (refund or exchange); one-year warranty against manufacturing defects and option to contract extend warranty | HSA/FSA accepted: Yes

Felix Gray offers a wide range of styles and colors for its blue light glasses. Each pair utilizes a proprietary technology that filters out 15 times more blue light than other lenses, which can really help reduce blurry vision and tired eyes when staring at a screen for hours. You can purchase with or without a prescription, and request magnification as well—a good option for anyone fixated on spreadsheets all day.

Pros:

  • Unisex models for adults and children
  • Proprietary technology with higher blue-light filtering than average
  • Prescription and magnification options

Cons:

  • On the expensive end

Best Blue Light Glasses For Reading

Look Optic: Not Your Grandma’s Reading Glasses

Look Optic

Kaine Blue Light Glasses

Prescription option: Magnification only | Virtual try-on: Yes | Price range: From $74 to $82 | Return policy and warranty: 90 days for returns and a one-year warranty | HSA/FSA accepted: No

For those who don’t need prescription glasses, readers (or magnification lenses) are the go-to option to help the eyes to see better. Look Optic specializes in stylish designs at reasonable prices and with a customer-friendly return policy. Its patented UV400 blue light lenses are available for all models. Like their designs but don’t need magnification? You can also purchase them without it.

Pros:

  • Blue light lenses with or without magnification
  • Excellent return policy and warranty
  • Stylish designs

Cons:

  • A limited selection of models
  • No prescription options or HSA/FSA accepted

Best Designer Blue Light Glasses

GlassesUSA: Designer Frames Without The Markup

GlassesUSA

Prada PR 12VV Catwalk Blue Light Glasses

Prescription option: Yes | Virtual try-on: Yes | Price range: From $39 to $700 | Return policy and warranty: 14 days for returns; one-year guarantee against defects | HSA/FSA accepted: Yes

GlassesUSA has an extensive range of blue light blocking frames from designer brands—including Michael Kors, Tory Birch, Prada and Gucci—at up to 60% off. The in-house range is also surprisingly stylish; Alexis Caldwell, Executive Director of Commerce Business Development at Forbes Vetted, is a fan of the Muse line. You can also test out glasses with the Live Try On feature, which uses augmented reality to superimpose frames onto your face.

Pros:

  • Thousands of frames from popular designer labels
  • Frequent sales and promotional offers (buy-one-get-one-free)
  • Multiple lens upgrades available (beyond blue light)

Cons:

  • Return window is just 14 days, and only your first pair is eligible
  • The Live Try On feature is useful but requires specific lighting

Best Blue Light Glasses For Easy Shopping

Liingo: Insurance-Friendly, Access To Frames And Much More

Liingo Eyewear

Mia Blue Light Eyeglasses

Prescription option: Yes | Virtual try-on: Yes, and at-home try-on for select styles | Price range: From $79 to $129 | Return policy and warranty: 60 days for returns and replacements from damage | HSA/FSA accepted: Yes  

Liingo (a 1-800-Contacts company) offers hundreds of frames at affordable prices—no frame is more than $150. Blue light filters can be added to any lenses, which also include UV filtering to protect the sensitive skin around your eyes (the blue light glasses are endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation). All glasses can be purchased with HSA/FSA plans and like Warby Parker, Liingo has an at-home try on program. While you’re on the site, you can shop for other family members, order sunglasses and contacts, too.

Pros:

  • Non-prescription blue light lenses are free
  • Lenses also protect against skin damage around the eyes
  • At-home try-ons plus adjustment reimbursement (up to $25)

Cons:

  • Not all frames are eligible for at-home try-on
  • Smaller selection, exclusively in-house designs

Best Casual Blue Light Glasses

DIFF Eyewear: Fashion-Forward Frames For Everyday

DIFF Eyewear

Sawyer Claret Blue Light Technology Glasses

Prescription option: Yes | Virtual try-on: No| Price range: From $85 to $109 | Return policy and warranty: 30-day returns for non-prescription models, 14 days for prescription; one-year warranty against manufacturing defects, extended coverage available | HSA/FSA accepted: Yes  

DIFF eyewear is where high fashion meets function. The brand’s blue light blocking glasses are available in prescription, non-prescription and readers. Prices start at $30, though most sit in the $70 to $90 range. These higher-end blue light blocking glasses are worth the investment, especially if you spend most of your day looking at a screen. There are over 400 pairs to choose from, including many bold, oversized styles.

Pros:

  • Wide variety of designer-looking styles
  • Frequent sales and discounted frames
  • Charitable giving with every purchase

Conts:

  • No virtual try-on
  • Prescription option only available on select frames

Best Blue Light Glasses For Quick Delivery

Amazon: Basic Frames When You Need Them ASAP

Amazon

Livho Two-Pack Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Prescription option: No | Virtual try-on: No | Price range: From $1 to $100 | Return policy and warranty: Varies depending on the seller | HSA/FSA accepted: No

While you won’t find many designer blue light blocking glasses on Amazon, it’s the place to turn to when looking for non-prescription and affordable pairs. From square and rectangle frames to cat eye and circular, Amazon has more than 3,000 options starting as low as $1.

Pros:

  • Affordable
  • More than 3,000 frames to choose from
  • Fast, free shipping with Prime

Cons:

  • Lower quality frames
  • No prescription options
  • No virtual try-on

How We Chose The Best Blue Light Glasses

Choosing a great pair of blue light glasses isn’t something we take lightly: After all, most of us spend hours in front of the screen every day. We consulted with two health professionals, assistant professor Phillip Yuhas, O.D., Ph.D. and ophthalmology professor Sunir J. Garg, M.D., to understand how blue light glasses work and what goes into choosing the right pair. We also research, edit and continually update this list to ensure we’re offering you the best options. To start, we surveyed the entire market, looking at specialist eyewear retailers and generalist marketplaces. Then we sorted through a range of styles and prices and considered features such as prescription and magnification. Lastly, we tested each site to discover how easy it was to try the glasses while carefully assessing refund policies and warranties.

What Should I Consider When Buying Blue Light Glasses?

From cheap, basic frames to prescription designer specs, there are thousands of blue light blocking glasses for every need and budget. Consider the points below to help you find your perfect pair.

Usage

First thing’s first: Do you want frames you can wear all day, including to work meetings? It might be worth spending a little more for a decent pair that’ll hold up (and make you feel polished in front of your colleagues).

If you’re just looking for a pair for occasional use or you’re shopping for your kids, lower-cost styles that you can afford to lose and replace may be your best bet. That said, you don’t have to settle for generic, low-quality glasses. For instance, Zenni (above) offers affordable options that are also well-made, stylish and affordable.

Prescription Options

Do you already wear prescription glasses? Consider getting a pair that does double-duty with prescription blue light blocking glasses. Several of the retailers above let you customize your lenses with upgrades like a blue light-filtering coating.

Return Policy

Higher-end blue light glasses can be a splurge, especially if they include prescription lenses. For pricier specs, especially, be sure to check the retailer’s return policy. Some give you a two-week window, some allow a one-time return for store credit, some charge a restocking fee and some don’t allow returns on custom orders.

What Is Blue Light?

Blue light is one of the colors on the visible light spectrum. It has a short wavelength, which means that it produces more energy than other light colors. There are two types of blue light—natural (from the sun) and artificial (from devices like your phone, computer, tablet, and TV). While exposure to natural blue light during the day isn’t much of a concern, regular exposure to artificial blue light has been linked to various problems, like eye strain, fatigue and headache.

Is Blue Light Really Bad For You?

But what’s so wrong with blue light? For one thing, it contributes to eye strain, and can also increase the risk of macular degeneration as well as other vision complications. It can also affect your sleep by disrupting your circadian rhythm. And while we’re all exposed to the blue light that comes from the sun (it’s the blue wavelengths in sunlight), which actually boosts attention and mood during the day, it’s our exposure to blue light outside of daylight hours that can affect us in less desirable ways.

Do Blue Light Blocking Glasses Really Work?

It depends who you ask. There isn’t a lot of research to support the use of these screen protection glasses says Phillip Yuhas, O.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Optometry at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. That said, the technology is still new. “Some patients do find that some blue light blocking glasses improve subjective comfort while viewing a screen,” Yuhas says.

Blue light glasses may also help you get a better night’s sleep, says Sunir J. Garg, M.D., a professor of ophthalmology at the Retina Service of Wills Eye Hospital. “For some folks, exposing themselves to intense blue light at nighttime can screw up their internal clock,” he says. “That can mess up certain people’s sleep-wake cycles. There may be some advantage to people using blue light glasses at night if they’re having trouble sleeping.”

However, Valerie Kattouf, OD, optometry professor and medical reviewer for All About Vision, says that consumers shouldn’t use blue light glasses as a “band aid” since blue light itself is one piece of the puzzle contributing to digital eye strain. “I notice that [most people] are quite aware that the excessive amount of time they spend on digital devices is often the culprit for visual symptoms [but] even with this awareness, they don’t want to address the problem directly and alter their habits,” says Kattouf.

Ultimately, the evidence is mostly anecdotal but wearing a pair of blue light glasses while looking at screens won’t hurt. However, if you have any additional concerns about your eyes or vision, your best bet is to consult with your eye doctor. In the meantime, make sure you’re also taking regular breaks or making an effort to reduce screen time when possible to help improve your eye health.

What Are The Benefits Of Wearing Blue Light Glasses?

A systematic review of multiple trials and case studies suggests that blue light glasses are beneficial for individuals with sleep disorders, jet lag or variable shift work schedules. (Makes sense, since those issues are all related to disruptions in circadian rhythm.) There are also people who claim that wearing blue light lenses have helped decrease eye fatigue and frequency of headaches—but of course, that’s all anecdotal.

Are There Any Downsides To Blue Light Glasses?

Generally speaking, blue light glasses themselves won’t harm your eyes. However, they may not provide the protection you think you’re getting, which is why you’ll want to order your glasses from a reputable retailer or trusted eye care professional.

Another possible downside is the tint. Lenses that block substantial blue light tend to have a notable yellow or amber hue, which could distort how you perceive colors. (Superficially speaking, they may not always look that appealing to wear.)

What Is The Difference Between Blue Light Glasses And Computer Glasses?

“Computer glasses is a generic term that encompasses lens treatments and prescriptions to minimize the eye strain experienced by technology use,” says Kattouf. “Blue light lens treatments are just one option offered to patients who are seeking treatments for digital eyestrain.” Computer glasses could have lenses with blue light filters, but not always. Computer glasses may also contain anti-glare treatments, lenses to help relax over-focusing and different-colored tints for comfort.

Are Blue Light Glasses Covered By FSA Or HSA Plans?

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are pre-tax saving plans with funds that can be used for certain approved medical expenses. Both FSA and HSA accounts typically cover prescription eyeglasses, including blue light blocking pairs. Many online retailers qualify for these plans but it’s worthwhile to browse the FAQs section for any exclusions and check the specifics of your own plan before purchasing.