Do Blue Light Glasses Actually Work?

For most people, blue light glasses are unlikely to work in the ways they are commonly marketed. The College of Optometrists says there’s no strong evidence that blue-blocking lenses improve vision, reduce eye strain, help sleep, or protect eye health.

Blue light filtering glasses are designed to block high energy short-wavelength blue light. Blue light is emitted by digital screens, LED lighting, and the sun.

They are one of the most popular eyewear trends in the UK and are widely promoted on social media as beneficial for eye health. Often claimed to help symptoms of digital eye strain, disrupted sleep, and even long-term eye damage.

In this post we provide a blue light blocking glasses review, UK blue light glasses evidence from professional bodies, peer-reviewed research, and regulatory decisions. Giving you an honest, evidence-based answer about whether they are worth your money.

Blue light glasses are marketed primarily to people who spend long hours in front of screens. The most common claims made are:

1. They reduce digital eye strain and headaches caused by screen use
2. They improve sleep quality by reducing melatonin suppression in the evenings
3. They protect the eyes from long-term retinal damage, including age-related macular degeneration

These claims are plausible in principle as blue light does play a role in regulating the body's internal clock. Prolonged screen use is associated with eye fatigue.

Several UK organisations have reviewed the evidence and their conclusions are strikingly consistent.

The College of Optometrists, literature in 2017 Professor John Lawrenson and colleagues at City University London

"The best scientific evidence currently available does not support the use of blue-blocking spectacle lenses in the general population to improve visual performance, alleviate the symptoms of eye fatigue or visual discomfort, improve sleep quality or conserve macular health."

The Association of Optometrists (AOP), literature in August 2023

"Coatings that filter blue light may improve visual comfort for some patients, or help mitigate the impact of blue light on sleep. But there is a lack of sufficient evidence in humans to support claims that they prevent eye disease. Existing studies offer no statistically significant evidence of clinical improvement."

The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

In October 2015, the ASA received complaints about a national press advertisement placed by Boots Opticians. The ad claimed that blue light from screens and LED lighting could damage retinal cells over time, and that Boots Protect Plus Blue lenses could filter it and reduce eye strain.

The ASA investigated and upheld the complaints. Its ruling stated:

ASA ruling, boots Opticians Ltd, October 2015

"Because the evidence was not sufficient to establish a direct link between harmful blue light and retinal damage over time, we concluded that the claims were misleading and had not been substantiated."

The 2023 Cochrane review, the most comprehensive evidence to date

In August 2023, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, published the most comprehensive analysis of blue light filtering lenses yet conducted. Widely regarded as the gold standard for evidence-based medicine.

The placebo effect

When people invest money in a product they believe will help them, they often feel better. Regardless of whether the product has any physiological effect. This is the placebo effect, and it is well-documented and clinically real.

Anti-reflective coating may be doing the work

Many blue light glasses, particularly premium lenses, also carry an anti-reflective coating. Anti-reflective treatment has a genuine, measurable effect on screen glare and visual discomfort. It is possible that people attributing their improved comfort to the blue light filter are, in fact, experiencing the benefit of the anti-reflective coating.

Greater screen-use awareness

Purchasing glasses for screen use tends to make people more conscious of their habits. They may take more breaks, sit further from their screen, and generally adopt healthier behaviour. These behavioural changes, not the lenses, may be responsible for the improvement they report.

Research points consistently to the following as the primary causes of eye fatigue during screen use. None of which are directly related to blue light:

1. Reduced blinking, screen use cuts blink rate from around 15 times per minute to as few as 5 to 7, causing dry, uncomfortable eyes 
2. Accommodation strain, the eye muscles working continuously to maintain focus at a fixed close distance
3. Poor screen ergonomics, incorrect screen height, distance, or surrounding light levels
4. An outdated or incorrect prescription, one of the most common and easily corrected causes of screen-related headaches and eye strain

Blue light is known to suppress the production of melatonin. The hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This is the mechanism behind advice to avoid screens before bed.

The theory of reducing blue light exposure in the hours before sleep could help the body produce melatonin at the right time. The AOP acknowledges that blue light coatings may help mitigate the impact of blue light on sleep for some patients. However, the 2023 Cochrane review found the effect on sleep quality across the trials it examined was inconclusive. Meaning that while the theoretical mechanism exists, the evidence that blue light glasses reliably improve sleep in practice remains unclear.

Based on the current weight of evidence from UK professional bodies. The honest answer is that blue light glasses are not supported by strong evidence for most of their marketed uses.

That said, blue light filtering is not harmful. The coating will not worsen your vision, and if it provides a degree of comfort, that is a benefit.

What we would advise against is buying a non-prescription pair of blue light glasses as your solution for eye strain or sleep problems.

This article draws on the following UK sources and peer-reviewed research. All findings are attributed to their original source and are reproduced accurately.

College of Optometrists, blue blocking spectacle lenses: formal position statement. Available at: college-optometrists.org

Lawrenson JG, Hull CC, Downie LE. The effect of blue-light blocking spectacle lenses on visual performance, macular health and the sleep-wake cycle: a systematic review of the literature. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics. 2017; 37: 644 to 654.

Singh S, Keller PR, Busija L, et al. Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2023; Issue 8. Art. No.: CD013244.

Association of Optometrists (AOP), visible blue light and position statement. Updated August 2023. Available at: aop.org.uk

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), ruling on Boots Professional Services Ltd t/a Boots Opticians Ltd. October 2015. Available at: asa.org.uk

General Optical Council (GOC), fitness to practise determination: Boots Opticians Ltd. May 2017.

Macular Society, is blue light damaging and are filters worth it? September 2023. Available at: macularsociety.org

City St George's, University of London, blue-light filtering spectacles probably make no difference to eye strain, visual performance or sleep quality. August 2023. Available at: citystgeorges.ac.uk

O'Hagan JB, Khazova M, Price LL. Low-energy light bulbs, computers, tablets and the blue light hazard. Eye (London). 2016; 30: 230 to 233. (Report commissioned by Public Health England.)

Wikipedia - computer vision syndrome

Frontiers in Pharmacology, January 2025

U.S. News Health, featuring Dr Daniel Greninger MD (AAO spokesperson). Updated June 2024

PubMed Central, 2022
Science Media Centre (UK). August 2023.
American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)