I have been wearing glasses since I was 8 years old. It means that I have been wearing contacts or glasses for the past 32 years! I am so blind without my glasses that I can’t even think about doing anything without them. Therefore, when the time to choose my glasses comes, I must make the right choice because it’s a long-term commitment! In the past years, I’ve been hearing a lot about blue light, and I wanted to know if blue-light-blocking glasses were necessary. I asked the professionals at BonLook about it to learn more about this topic.
What is blue light and where can we find it?
Blue light is a perceptible colour on the visible light spectrum. Our primary source of natural blue light is the sun, and its presence is aligned with our circadian rhythms, signaling when it’s time to be active and when it’s time to rest. Along with the sun, we can find it from many digital sources, such as computer screens, smartphones, tablets, and LED lights. It is when you have blue light oversaturation that it becomes concerning.
Is there a way to avoid blue light?
Technically, no, because we get it from the sun. From the digital side of things, many of us need our devices to work or use them to decompress and entertain ourselves, so it is hard to avoid. That being said, you can reduce your blue light intake to build better sleep habits by cutting back on using digital devices up to two to three hours before bedtime. If you absolutely can’t go an entire evening without scrolling through TikTok (can’t say we blame you), then try to activate the night mode function or dim the screens to help minimize blue light consumption.
How do glasses protect from blue light?
The lenses have an extremely subtle, yellow tint that helps block out the blue light entering your vision.
Why should I pay more for blue-light-blocking glasses?
An increase in blue light exposure leads to the suppression of melatonin production (melatonin is a hormone released by our pineal gland, which regulates our sleep-wake cycle). The disruption of your sleep cycle, not only lowers your cognitive function — like making you more accident-prone or forgetful — sleep deprivation can have long-term effects on our health—even, in worst cases, contributing to diseases we’d prefer to avoid down the line. For these reasons and others, getting a good night’s sleep is essential to your health.
According to a randomized trial about blue light blocking technology from the National Library of Medicine, blue light lenses can be highly effective. In a two-week study, 20 individuals were asked to wear blue-light-blocking glasses or regular glasses up to three hours before bedtime. Researchers learned that those who wore the blue-light glasses experienced a major boost to their mood and sleep, proof that wearing blue-light filtering glasses can help promote better sleep.
Where can we find blue-light-blocking glasses?
I did the test and went ahead and looked for blue-light-blocking glasses on BonLook’s website. Being a Montreal-based company, and having truly low prices, I thought it would be the perfect place to buy them. To give you an idea, my last pair of glasses I bought at a big chain cost me $800, compared to $314 at BonLook (that includes thinned lenses and blue light blocking filters).
For me, BonLook is a natural choice. Now that I know more about blue light, it’s an even better choice.
BonLook
There are 3 BonLook stores in Montreal. To know more, here’s the website: bonlook.ca/en
Don’t want to be caught up in the cold weather? You can try out your new glasses online!