Confused about which blue-blocking glasses you should buy?
We’ve scientifically tested over 70 pairs to narrow down the best of the best so you don’t have to keep pulling your hair out and deciding which company to trust.
How We Did Our Testing
We used our lab-grade spectrometer to take readings of a full spectrum light source before and after each lens was placed over the spectrometer.
This gave us the ability to compare each pair of glasses apples to apples.
So, what did we compare? Two important things…
Reducing Circadian Light
While most glasses claim they block “50% of green light” or “99% of blue light“, these claims are rather vague…
So we improved them!
Instead, we decided to use Circadian Light Reduction.
This is a metric developed by the LHRC that uses a complex weighted algorithm to determine how biologically impactful a light spectrum is to your circadian rhythm.
Since not all blue light or green light is equally impactful to the suppression of melatonin, it’s much better to use this weighed scale to determine what kind of impact a pair of blue blockers may have.
You can read more about circadian stimulus here.
Reducing Lux or Brightness
Lux is basically a measurement of how visually bright a light source is.
Generally speaking, the more circadian light you block, the “darker” your environment will appear.
BUT.
This is not always the case.
Since the light that suppresses melatonin is different from the light we are most visually sensitive to, some lenses can block similar amounts of circadian light but differ vastly in how dark they make the environment seem.
For example, the two lenses below each block around the same amount of lux at 8%.
However, one clearly blocks more blue light, to the tune of 20% more circadian light.
If you’re doing color-sensitive work or don’t want to distort the color of your environment, choose a lens with lower lux reduction.
However, if you are sensitive to light or will be in a very bright environment late at night, a higher lux reduction will be useful, since reducing overall lux or brightness is really a proxy for how much light is getting through the lenses.
And in general, the more like you block, the less melatonin you’ll suppress.
Which Blue Blocker Lenses to Pick
When it comes to blocking blue light at night, you’ve got three main categories to choose from:
Yellow Lenses
These block most of the blue light while letting through almost all of the green light.
Examples of what yellow lenses let through:
These lenses are great if you know you’ll have to drive somewhere at night and still need to see very well, or if you’re doing color-sensitive work and don’t want to distort colors too much.
Pros
Cons
Amber Lenses
These are great middle-grounds that cut down on most blue and green light.
Examples of what amber lenses let through:
These lenses are the best all around for color clarity and blue light-blocking abilities.
These are really the best of both worlds if you don’t have to drive anywhere and just need a pair for out on the town or at home.
Pros
Cons
Red Lenses
Red lenses don’t let any blue or green light through.
Examples of what red lenses let through:
These lenses are a must-buy if you find yourself very sensitive to blue/green light.
Anyone with sleep phase disorders or insomnia should consider using red lenses at night to avoid delaying melatonin secretion.
These are also a good pick for anyone looking to fully maximize their sleep quality.
Pros
Cons
The Best Blue Blockers
Without further ado! Here are our recommendations:
Best Yellow Blue Blocker
A pair of yellow blue blockers are perfect for cutting down on circadian light without diminishing colors too much.
TrueDark Daylights
These will give you a pretty sizable reduction of over 50% of circadian light, while still retaining amazing color rendering.
What do they block?
OPTIMIZE for 10% off!
TrueDark Daylight Fitovers
The same as the others! These just fit over glasses.
What do they block?
OPTIMIZE for 10% off!
Block Blue Light
If you’re looking for readers or prescription lenses in yellow, BlockBlueLight is the way to go!
What do they block?
Get 10% off through link below!
Best Amber Blue Blockers
Here are our picks for the best amber-colored blue blockers around!
Infield Terminators
These are my favorite budget amber blue blockers!
With the wraparound format, they effectively block all blue light and much of the green, and don’t look half bad either!
What do they block?
TrueDark Gradient
These unique lenses block more light at the top, and less at the bottom, which is really what you need!
These are probably my favorite “social” blue blockers.
What do they block?
OPTIMIZE for 10% off!
EyeKeeper Fitovers
If you’re looking for a pair of amber blue blockers to wear over your prescription glasses, these are a great choice!
What do they block?
Block Blue Light
If you’re looking for readers or prescription lenses in amber, BlockBlueLight is the way to go!
What do they block?
Get 10% off through link below!
Best Red Blue Blockers
Here are our favorite red lens blue blockers, perfect for insomniacs and biohackers alike!
TrueDark Twilight Classics
These lenses by TrueDark are the ultimate blue blocker. The best we tested.
Grab these if you’re looking for some glasses that’ll knock you out no matter where you are!
What do they block?
Use code OPTIMIZE for 10% off!
TrueDark Twilights Fitovers
If you’re looking for a pair of lense blue locking glasses that will fit over your glasses, look no further!
What do they block?
Use code OPTIMIZE for 10% off!
And that’s it for our recommendations! Hopefully, you’ve found your pair!
If not, check out our extensive blue blocker database, where you can sort through over 70 of the best blue blockers on the market!
hi Derek absolutely brilliant work you’re doing in the biohacking space, I have been using uvex blue blocking safety glasses for years and find them working well but wondering if you have tested them and what the circadian and lux rating was on them. also I’m having some light come from underneath the glasses and trying to engineer something too stop that from happening not sure if it’s a big deal if a little bit of light comes from underneath the glasses or not. would appreciate your thoughts and thank you
Hey Christian! Thanks for the comment.
I have tested the UVEX Skyper which can be found in the Blue Blocker Database, I’m not sure if you have a different pair but that’s the only UVEX glasses I’ve tested as of right now.
A little light coming from underneath probably isn’t too big of a deal, however different people have different responses to light at night. One thing to keep in mind is that exposure to a lot of bright light during the day can help offset the negative effects of any light at night. But if it really bothers you there are some glasses that might fit better like the Infield Terminators for example.
Hope that helps!
Should one be concerned about glasses that don’t fully an eye like swimmer goggles? For example, if you wear sunglasses, there’s a normal opening under and above your eye as the sunglasses don’t fully wrap around and touch your skin except for the sides, this is in contrast to swimmer’a goggles that fully cover the eyeballs. Will enough blue light be indirectly leaked in that I need to be concerned about finding a pair that fully covers?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Christian! Whether the amount of light getting past a pair of blue blockers is detrimental or not would depend on a variety of factors. Overall though blue light melatonin suppression is usually dose dependent.
The location of the light, the brightness, the actual shape of the glasses, and you’re personal susceptibility all play a role!
If you have issues with sleeping or light sensitivity, I’d grab a pair of wrap-around blue blockers, otherwise I wouldn’t be too worried about some light getting through, you’ll still be blocking a huge portion of it.
Hi, what’s your opinion on the Avulux glasses? if you look at the chart you posted it looks like a W shape (unlike all the other charts) and on their website they claim to filter out only very specific lights that are harmful, do you think they have something unique that’s worth looking into?
They are definitely a unique optical blend! I found that they seem to just make things feel a little warmer and green pops quite a bit more. It’s a very pleasant view.
My wife wrote up a bit more about them in this article, seems like they could help with light sensitivity and photophobia without drastically changing the way the world looks.
Thank you for replying!
I wonder how much they would help with the circadian rhythm since they focus more on helping photophobia. Am I better off with typical blue blockers at night, and then by day, I can wear the evulux?
I checked out your content and I really find it interesting and subscribed to your channel. Thank you.
No problem Robert!
I think it would be better to have a dedicated pair of amber blue blockers for at night.
And thanks! Glad to have you aboard!
Greetings from Norway 🙂
i have been trying to optimise my sleep for some time now and i just found your site. Its VERY helpful to say the least.
I was wondering about the Truedark twilight classics, as it recevied a lot of negative feedback on amazon for it easily breaking and not lasting. What would you say the next best wraparound glasses for sleep would be?
I looked at these ones https://www.blockbluelight.co.uk/collections/blue-blocking-glasses-night-time/products/blue-blocking-night-glasses
from “block blue light” but dont know if there are better options out there.
Thank you very much for this information.
Hi Sebastian! They look to be sourcing from the same factory to me! haha
Fitover glasses might be an alternative? They’re a bit larger of course but will still act as a “wraparound” style, and you’d get away from the potentially crack prone style above.
Thanks for all your hard work Derek! Now I can make an informed decision and help protect my eyes 🙂
You’re very welcome Mana 🙂
Which would you buy that has clear lense and without prescription?
i have bought the gunnar vertex smoke and it does have like 0.5 i think so im looking to change:)
Hey Nadi, I wrote a post just about this very thing!
So there are none that are readers? I don’t want to wear TWO pairs of glasses!
Thank you
Many readers available! I suggest checking the database, sort by “Sleep” and select yes for prescription. Bon Charge, Filter Optix, Block Blue Light, and more offer readers.
I may update this to include that!
I have been recommended the Safety Blue Sleep Savior Deluxe glasses but have been hesitant to pull the trigger for awhile now. Is it safe to assume these will fall within a reasonable success rate compared to the other SafetyBlues?
I would think so? I will have to test them to be sure, but I’d imagine they use the same materials.
Thank You Derek. One of life’s true hero’s.
Thank you Andrew! 😄
Do you have a back-up recommendation for the Infield Blockers? Amazon doesn’t have them in stock, at least through Prime. Thanks!
I know I’ve been hoping they come back! 🙁 I’m looking into alternatives, nothing really stands that same price point and style yet.
Thank you so much for this review, it helps me a lot. there is a brand on amazon that has a really nice quality, that it would amazing if you can test it out, the brand is Bloomoak I think they are from Germany,.
Those are on my to-do list! 🙂
Hi Derek,
I have just found your site. Thank you for all your work. I have a question which would be the best glasses for a- working on screen during the day at home with minimal bad light around, b- working on my laptop at night
Hi Tina!
If you’re doing night work I’d say any amber colored pair would be ideal. As for a specific pair… that’s a much harder thing to recommend haha it depends a lot on what you might want out of a pair of blue blockers. Style, fit, the amount of lux or blue light, etc.
Thanks so much for all of the work you’ve put in to this. I had been putting off buying these kind of glasses for a long time because it was impossible to tell which were crap & which were not. Working in IT for decades, my eyes are definitely feeling the effects of too much screentime.
Just bought myself 3 different pairs for different situations. Will also donate to you as well.
Thank you! I hope you find a pair you like 🙂
will you try gaming glasses like Horus X & Gunnar?
Hey NC! We actually already have, the results can be found in the database.