Do You Need Computer Glasses?
It used to be quite easy to acquire glasses: if you couldn’t see the blackboard at school or road signs while driving (or other equally distant things), you went to the optometrist, took the test, and then received glasses if you needed. their. But now that we spend so much time looking at screens – be it our phones or computers – we are told that we need other types of glasses to help our eyes, even if we don’t need prescriptions. So what’s the deal with computer glasses?
Why you might need computer glasses
Unfortunately, vision problems are one of the dangers of spending too much time in front of the screen. In fact, the Vision Council found that 59 percent of US adults reported having some type of digital eye strain (tight, dry, or red eyes; blurry vision; headaches; back pain; neck pain) or general fatigue). using digital devices for hours.
We previously mentioned several ways to prevent or reduce eye fatigue , including using the 20-20-20 rule to give your eyes regular rest, and ergonomically optimizing your workplace . In addition to these important settings, computer glasses can also alleviate or prevent digital eye strain, depending on your situation. Here’s what you need to know.
How computer glasses work
Computer glasses are special purpose glasses designed to improve your vision when you look at digital screens. They are designed to: Reduce glare (the main cause of eye fatigue), increase contrast, and maximize what you see through your lenses, making it easier to see your screen for a longer period of time. There are two main features that you will see in these glasses:
Anti-reflective (AR) coating : Anti-reflective coating reduces glare from screens and light sources. Specially designed computer and gaming glasses from Gunnar and Ambr Eyewear offer these coatings, and prescription glasses can also be anti-reflective. However, not all anti-reflective coatings are created equal. Older glasses may have a cheap coating that constantly collects stains and dirt, effectively leading to eye fatigue and vision problems. I probably cleaned these things every half hour. The glasses I recently received (with financial support from the Vision Council) with newer / better coverage do not have this problem.
Confirming my experience, Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, an optometrist and computer vision consultant (who was also a technical consultant for Gunnar Optiks), notes that when it comes to coatings, the new generation coatings are much better than previous versions. Old ones flake off and scratch easily, leading to unsightly cracks, so if you’ve tried them a few years ago and have had a bad experience, don’t discount the newer versions. They have become much better , thanks to the fact that they are easier to clean and reduces reflections, glare and ghosting.
Color tints : Some computer glasses also have an unmistakable (usually yellow) tint, designed to increase screen contrast and filter out awkward / harsh light spectra to relax your eye muscles. Tinted glasses are the hallmark of Gunnar’s glasses, but they can be applied to other glasses as well.
Cost : Gunnar glasses retail for $ 55 and up for over-the-counter versions, but you can often find them on sale. However, prescription versions of Gunnars can cost several hundred dollars. Anti -reflective coatings for prescription (and over-the-counter) eyeglasses include Crizal , Zeiss, and Teflon . The coating itself will throw you off a bit. Coverage usually costs between $ 70 and $ 140 , in addition to the cost of lenses and frames, depending on whether your insurance has a vision plan. For example, with the standard VSP plan , TechShield Anti-Reflective Coating will cost $ 69 instead of $ 115 uncoated.
What about blue light?
But what about all this blue light we’ve been hearing about lately? Over the past few years, we’ve been told that blue light from our phones, tablets and computers hurts our eyes, and there are many companies selling blue light glasses (apart from the coating we use already discussed in this article ).
It turns out not – blue light doesn’t blind you , and you don’t need special glasses with a blue light filter. There is currently no empirical evidence that blue light causes permanent damage to our vision, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology does not recommend any special glasses for this purpose. (Let’s now return to a regularly published article on other types of computer glasses.)
Are computer glasses effective?
Whether or not computer glasses are worth and work for you is subjective because, as Dr. Anshel points out, factors include your visual ability and computer use, your work environment, and your browsing habits. Beyond blue light, here’s what experts and users say about other types of computer glasses.
First: if it’s not broken, don’t fix it
If you don’t have eye problems, you can just stop here. Coated glasses and / or computer glasses will do nothing for you (other than give your look the perfect look). In fact, they could be a hindrance. Dr. Robert Noeker, ophthalmologist and director of Glaucoma for Connecticut Ophthalmic Consultants , notes that:
Computer glasses do not necessarily prevent eye strain in an already optimized environment. In addition, the range in which the eyes can move from one side to the other is maximized without any glasses. The edges of the frames limit this range of motion and may be more of a problem for people who don’t get much benefit from wearing glasses. Also, spots appear on the glasses, which can also interfere with vision.
If your eyes are straining, they might be worth it.
However, many people experience digital eye strain and simply ignore it. Dr. Justin Bazan, owner of Park Slope Eye in Brooklyn and a member of The Better Vision Institute at the Vision Council, says:
People are so used to feeling tired eyes at the end of the day that they just accept it. Just because it’s okay doesn’t mean it’s okay. Your eye doctor will work with you to help you improve your eye health!
He notes the following advantages of different types of glasses:
[Premium Anti-Reflective Glasses] help ensure clear vision by preventing dust, fingerprints, etc. on the lenses. You will also want to find glasses with a slight bump that will provide enough power gain to make the screen look slightly larger. which reduces eye strain. In addition, most computer glasses can help increase contrast, making it easier for the eyes to focus on the computer screen.
It’s not difficult for me to get anti-glare glasses because I still have to wear prescription glasses and my eyeballs always feel like they’re being squeezed out of their sockets after hours of research and writing. New premium finishes are much easier to keep clean. I wore my old glasses for a week, then new ones, and the difference in eye comfort is striking. To be honest, I think this is the closest I have ever felt to see as clearly as someone who does not wear glasses – or at least what I imagine they are can see.
As for glasses like those from Gunnar and Ambr Eyewear: online reviews are mostly positive; former Lifehacker member Jason Chen found Gunnars’ recipe helped with his vision problems . This is anecdotal evidence, but many users share the same sentiment: they can actually help ease the headaches you get from sitting at your computer all day.
Why computer glasses can seem like a hoax
When they first hit the market, computer glasses companies like Gunnar Optiks did really advertise their products and use tactics reminiscent of commercials that made them feel a little useless. However, they have since softened it a lot. But thanks to the whole blue light glasses industry not based on science (which, again, is quite different), it can be difficult to separate what might be useful from something useless.
But Dr. Christa Anderson, optometrist and co-owner of Pointe Vision Care in Gross Pointe Woods, Michigan, notes in an interview with Ars Technica that she does recommend most of the functions of computer glasses like these to patients: reflective coatings, tinting, and more.
About 10 years ago, Gunnar claimed that their wraparound glasses help trap moisture in your eyes, but have since discontinued them as there is research showing that this is not true. For example, in a clinical study from Oregon Pacific University, researchers used two control pairs of glasses, similar to Gunnar’s, and tested 38 people in bright light and dry air. After measuring the volume of tears in the patients, as well as the frequency of strabismus and blinking, they found no significant difference between Gunnar’s glasses and the control group. So you might not want to buy Gunnar goggles just if you constantly rub your eyes because they are dry.
Having said that, if you have dry eyes, Dr. Noeker provides a few guidelines that can help with this:
If possible, it is useful to increase the humidity of the environment using a humidifier; electronic equipment dries the air. It is useful to take breaks to relax the eye muscles, use artificial tears to improve the lubrication of the surface of the eye, and remember to blink more (when using a computer, the blink rate decreases by 2-3 times less than usual).
So, should you buy them?
Before buying specialty glasses, make sure you first set up your workstation and adjust your computer habits for optimal eye health. We have many tips and explanations (using science!) To help you:
- Smartphones don’t spoil your eyes
- Prevent eye strain when you are sitting at your computer all day with this app
- Looking at the screen won’t hurt your eyes forever.
- How to prevent eye strain at the computer?
- How to optimize your workspace ergonomically
- Reduce computer eye strain with the 20-20-20 rule
- You are holding it wrong: here’s how to properly hold touchscreen gadgets
After following all of these recommendations, if eye strain or other vision problems still bother you, heed the advice of Ars Technica:
Our advice if you are interested in something in this direction? Go to the Gunnar Optik website, create a pair of glasses with the features you want and check the price. Then check with your local optometrist and see if they can beat the price with the same feature set. Buy what is cheaper.
Many optics retailers have return and warranty policies (Gunnar and Ambr glasses give refunds within 30 days), so you can test the computer glasses yourself to see (literally) if they matter to you.
This story was originally published on 1/31/13 and updated on 8/2/19 to provide more complete and up-to-date information.