Do photochromic lenses block blue light?

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Do photochromic lenses block blue light?

 

Do photochromic lenses filter light from your computer? Maybe surprisingly, the answer is yes.

While photochromic lenses were designed to darken in sunlight and protect your eyes from ultraviolet (UV) rays, the lenses also filter blue light from the sun and your digital devices.

It makes sense if you think about it: Blue light is just a level up from UV rays on the spectrum. UV exposure can be avoided by staying inside but blue light shines from every digital screen we interact with: smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc.

Buying glasses with photochromic lenses which filter blue light can aid in reducing digital eye strain.

Learn more about the benefits of Transitions lenses

 

How do photochromic lenses filter blue light?

Photochromic lenses are infused with a chemical reactant made of special dye molecules that shift and change in the presence of UV rays and some visible light. A color-balancing aspect of the photochromic molecules filters blue light, in particular, a yellow tint, though the colour is undetectable to the naked eye.

What does this mean? Photochromic lenses provide UV protection even on overcast days, when UV still passes through the clouds. Just as photochromic lenses shield you from the sun’s UV rays even on cloudy days, light-adaptive lenses filter blue light outside and from your digital devices indoors.

 

What’s the thing about blue light?

Blue light is good for you. Certain wavelengths aid your sleep, mood and even your thinking.

Blue light scatters – that’s why the sky is blue – so it also can reduce the contrast of digital screens leading some people experiencing eye strain, headaches etc.

It is also implicated in what is called “oxidative stress” on the retina placing a group of people e.g. those with a family history of age related macular degeneration, at higher risk of developing the condition over time.

 

Are photochromic lenses the best option to filter blue light?

Are light-adaptive lenses the best way to block blue light from your computer? Yes they are one of the best solutions.

Photochromic lenses offer protection for your eyes in all light settings and all in one pair of glasses. Protecting you from UV rays while you’re out in the sun and filtering blue light from your computer and other digital screens when you are in your office and at home. Other types of lenses also filter blue light.

For example, if you spend most of your time indoors working on your laptop, playing video games or swiping right on your smartphone, blue light filtering can be added as a coating or integrated into the lens material itself.

Want expert advice on whether photochromic lenses or other blue light filter will work best for you? Find an optometrist near you today.

 

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