Why is Everyone Suddenly Wearing Blue Light Glasses?

In an embarrassing yet entirely on-brand decision (Hello my name is Allie and I'm a wellness writer), I started wearing blue light glasses not to minimize the amount of sleep-disrupting blue light my eyes were taking in from all the devices, but to get attention on Instagram from a man I fancied myself in love with. This was a few years ago, and blue light glasses were a relatively niche category. I was less concerned about their practical use, and more concerned with how they really amped up the "writer hard at work, but make it sexy" vibe I was going for in my selfies. (I know, I know.)

In the years since then, I have done things that are even more embarrassing for men I thought I was in love with. Meanwhile, blue light glasses have actually evolved and become even more mainstream. Established glasses brands like Warby Parker and Ray Ban have introduced blue light filtering lenses, and other brands, like The Book Club, are known for them. It seems like blue light eyewear will only continue to become more popular, with the global market predicted to increase from $19 million in 2020 to $28 million by 2024. 

image: The Book Club

The recent rise in popularity is likely due, at least in part, to the fact that many of us spent the majority of 2020 in front of screens. For a long time, the safest way we could connect with people was virtually. Oftentimes, multiple screens were involved (for instance, binge-watching Love Is Blind on the TV while googling if it was gross to wear the same sweatpants three days in a row on our smartphones). One report found that screentime for people over the age of 18 increased as much as 40 percent during the pandemic. Spending a lot of time in front of electronic devices can lead to digital eye strain and disrupted sleep. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says that blue light glasses don't really do anything when it comes to digital eye strain. However, where they can help is with sleep. 

Blue light can mess up your circadian rhythm, which makes falling asleep even more difficult than it already is.

The purpose of blue light glasses is to filter blue light so that our eyes aren't exposed to as much of it. The Book Club, for example, claims that its eyewear blocks 30% of blue light emitted from screens from reaching your eyes. Blue light plays a significant role in the sleep-wake cycle, and it's emitted by the sun as well as sources of artificial light, like electronics. Blue light can mess up your circadian rhythm, which makes falling asleep even more difficult than it already is. Our bodies associate blue light with daytime, and exposure to it suppresses melatonin production. Hence, the popular advice to put away screens a few hours before bed. 

Here's the thing, though: LOL. It's not that putting screens away before bed won't help you sleep better, it's just that, well, realistically who is actually going to do that? Like, look, I want better sleep but I also want to lie in bed and scroll through Twitter after a new episode of The Bachelorette airs. Moments like this are where blue light glasses have your back (err—eyes?).