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!
Hello! The Okany glasses seemed to perform extremely well in your tests. They are now $15 on Amazon…is that too good to be true? Is it the same product? Thanks so much for any insight!
https://a.co/d/0YXM4VK
Hey Jake yes those are the same ones we tested!