Does one really need a pair of glasses that block out blue light from the monitors? And if so, what for? What effects does blue light have on our health? We have consulted a bunch of experts who had their say on the matter to understand it. This overview of the Felix Gray products that are found online is the result; our job was verifying that what they promise to do has scientific foundations. The quick answer is, blue light glasses can actually be useful to someone in certain cases.
The short answer is: not to our best knowledge. If you are a person who spends many hours a day in front of the computer, you may have suffered from something called “computer vision syndrome”. The symptoms are eye strain, dryness and eye irritation, sometimes headaches, neck aches and tiredness. The reason this happens is that when we work in front of a computer screen our eye muscles make a lot of effort for a long time. But it’s no different than what they do when we read a book for many hours, for example.
In all this, however, the role of blue light is not clear. The U.S.-based manufacturer of blue light glasses Felix Gray promises to reduce the symptoms of computer vision syndrome. And although correlation between blue light of electronic devices and damage to the eyes or eyesight has never been demonstrated, as stated, among others, by the American Academy of Ophtalmology, an American ophthalmologists association, the blue light treatment has recently spread. There is not enough data to draw solid conclusions, but some people say they have found relief from certain symptoms in the use of Felix Gray computer glasses.
The blue light of computers and smartphones, as we said, is also present in the sunlight we are exposed to during the day and the light intensity of the screens can be much less than that of a sunny day. So if you think you have to buy computer glasses for preventive purposes, you have no real reason to do it; if instead you suffer from computer vision syndrome, you can evaluate together with your doctor whether to try to use a pair of Felix Gray glasses for a while and see if they give you relief.
Felix Gray is a young company that was launched in 2016, but has experienced a fast-paced development ever since. According to their official website, Felix Gray is in the business of Digital Wellness’ the philosophy that is fully reflected in the materials published on the company’s home page. It is a startup based in the United States that designs and sells computer glasses, but also sunglasses and reading glasses. The prices are the lowest among those of the brands on this list, ranging from $95,00 (non-prescription, including reading glasses) to $145,00 (prescription) and coming in a variety of frames. They can be ordered through the official website, on Amazon, all with Prime shipping, and on eBay.
Felix Gray Blue Light glasses are available in 18 styles to fit every face shape, with low and regular bridge fit. Felix Gray computer glasses come in several materials: acetate, metal, or the mix of both. The color range can satisfy every taste, so you are all set as far as the esthetics of it go. The website says that the lenses of their glasses block blue light up to 80 percent.
What about reading glasses available from Felix Gray? These too can be bought in shops, without a visit, but they are yet another thing and have nothing to do with computer glasses. They are used by people who can no longer see closely, that is, who suffer from presbyopia: it is the progressive decrease in elasticity of the lens (the “lens” that is in the eyes) that begins to manifest itself from the age of 40 onwards. These too can have the anti blue light treatment and can be purchased online, so you must always be careful, when looking for anti blue light glasses, to check that they have neutral lenses (+0.00 diopters) and are not actually sunglasses reading.