Computer glasses: real protection or clever marketing
Kyiv • UNN
Modern screens do not pose a threat to vision, and computer glasses do not block blue light. They are useful for people with visual impairments, but not for healthy individuals.
Computer glasses are usually advertised as protecting eyes from harmful screen radiation. However, do they really perform this function? Oksana Vyhovska, an ophthalmologist, told a UNN journalist about how such glasses actually work, who they can be useful for, and when wearing them makes no sense.
According to the ophthalmologist, modern computer screens do not pose a serious threat to vision, and fears about "harmful radiation" are somewhat exaggerated.
Modern LCD and LED screens do not emit dangerous or ionizing radiation. The level of blue light from monitors is tens of times lower than from the sun, and it has not been proven to damage the retina during normal use. Glasses with a blue light filter have no proven protective effect for eye health
Despite this, some people do feel relief when wearing computer glasses, but this effect is not related to blocking blue light.
Sometimes such glasses can reduce fatigue, dry eyes, or headaches. But this happens not because of blue light, but thanks to an anti-reflective coating, proper optical correction, or reduced brightness, because the main cause of discomfort is digital eye strain due to less blinking, prolonged focusing, and incorrect posture
According to the doctor, computer glasses can indeed be useful for certain groups of people. This primarily refers to those who have vision impairments or age-related changes, but healthy people without complaints do not need them.
They are really useful for people with: farsightedness or age-related presbyopia (40+ years), astigmatism, a difference between the eyes, symptoms of fatigue when working at a medium distance (50–80 cm). That is, these are more special glasses with proper optical correction, rather than a "blue light filter." Healthy people without vision problems, as a rule, do not necessarily need them
Oksana Vyhovska advises not to rely solely on glasses, but to follow simple rules of eye hygiene. According to the doctor, these are what give the greatest effect. And they often work better than any "protective" accessories.
What works better than any "computer glasses" is the 20–20–20 rule: every 20 minutes → look at 20 feet (6 m) for 20 seconds - this relaxes accommodation. Blink more often + artificial tears – reduces dryness and burning. Lighting, without glare, the screen not opposite the window, moderate brightness. Distance 50–70 cm from the monitor, the top of the screen slightly below eye level. Night mode/warm colors in the evening. Helps more for sleep than for eyes. Vision correction. The most effective solution is properly selected glasses or lenses
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