Let’s start with a familiar story; one that you may have experienced many times yourself. Imagine a typical work or leisure day where you spend hours on your mobile phone, tablet or laptop. From morning to night, you are busy scrolling through Instagram or immersed in the world of work and study. After a few hours, you feel that your eyes are heavy, you have an annoying burning and redness, and you have minor headaches. This scenario is part of a phenomenon called Digital Eye Strain or Computer Vision Syndrome, and many of us struggle with it. In today’s world where our lives are tied to screens, eye care is no longer an option, but a necessity. This is where Blockat and Blockcontrol glasses come into play as an efficient and modern solution. These glasses have been making a lot of noise in eyewear stores these days and are being introduced as the saviors of our eyes from the harmful light of screens. Our goal in this article is to examine this issue carefully and impartially to help you choose the best tool to maintain the health and comfort of your eyes.
What are blocks and where did they come from?
Before we get to the glasses themselves, we need to see what this blue light that we are talking about so much is. Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum that we can see with our eyes. This light spectrum has a shorter wavelength (about 380 to 500 nanometers) and, as a result, higher energy than other colors such as red.
The largest and most important source of blue light on Earth is the sun. But today, with the development of technology, other artificial sources such as the screens of smartphones, tablets, laptops and LED televisions also emit this light.
Now you may be wondering, why should we be so concerned about blue light from screens when the sun is the biggest source of blue light? The answer is that the main difference is in the way we are exposed to this light. We never stare directly at the sun for long hours from a distance of a few centimeters, but our modern lifestyle has caused us to stare at screens for hours at a very close distance. This direct and prolonged exposure makes the effects of blue light emitted by screens (which is a small fraction of sunlight) on our eyes more noticeable and causes possible damage.
Blue light protection glasses are usually categorized into two main categories: blockers and blockcontrols, which despite their similar names, have important differences.
Bluecut glasses: In this type of lens, the filtering material is placed directly into the lens fabric itself. This technology eliminates a large portion of blue light (some sources claim 93 to 97 percent). But the point is that this filter works non-selectively; that is, it removes both harmful blue light and the useful part that is necessary for the eyes. The result of this action is a yellow tint in images and reduced clarity of vision compared to regular lenses.
- BlueControl glasses: These lenses are actually regular lenses with a multilayer coating on their surface. This coating intelligently and selectively absorbs or reflects only the harmful spectrum of blue light (with a wavelength of 380 to 450 nanometers) and allows useful light (with a wavelength of 450 to 500 nanometers) to pass through. This more advanced technology makes the lenses completely transparent and colorless, providing a more realistic quality of vision.
What do blockers do for our eyes?
By filtering out harmful blue light, Blockout and Blockcontrol glasses provide important benefits for the health and comfort of our eyes:
Reduce eye fatigue and dryness: Prolonged use of screens causes eye strain and fatigue. By reducing light scattering, these glasses reduce irritation, redness, and pain caused by prolonged staring at screens.
- Increase visual clarity and reduce headaches: By filtering out harmful light, these glasses help increase contrast and clarity of vision, and reduce headaches and migraines associated with screen staring.
- Improve sleep quality: Blue light directly affects the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. Using these glasses, especially late at night, can help regulate the body’s natural sleep cycle and promote deeper, better sleep.
- Long-term retinal protection: The bigger claim is that these glasses can prevent serious, long-term damage like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a serious concern in today’s digital world.
Beyond Blocking Glasses; Complementary Habits for Healthy Eyes
Blocking glasses are a powerful tool for protecting your eyes, but to maximize their impact and take full care of your eyes, you can also use simple daily habits:
- The 20-20-20 Golden Rule: This rule is a simple but incredibly effective exercise. Just look at an object 20 feet (about 6 meters) away from you for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This gives your eye muscles a chance to rest and reduces eye fatigue.
- Software settings: Most phones and laptops today have built-in features to reduce blue light. For example, you can use Night Shift mode in Apple operating systems or Night Light in Windows.
- Ergonomics and daily habits:
- Display settings: Adjust your screen brightness so that it is neither too high nor too low. Also, making the font larger can make it easier to read text and put less strain on your eyes.
- Work environment: Place your screen 40 to 60 cm away from your eyes and adjust its height so that it is about 12 cm below your eye level.
- Blink consciously: Remember to blink more often and more regularly. This simple act helps keep your eyes moist and prevents dryness.
Who should use Blockat and Blockcontrol glasses?
These glasses are useful for anyone exposed to digital lights, but for some people they are an essential choice:
- Professional users: If you are a programmer, graphic designer, gamer or editor and work long hours (for example, 8 hours or more) during the day with screens, Blockcontrol glasses with clear lenses and smart blue light filter are a vital tool for maintaining the health of your eyes.
- People with digital eye strain: If you experience symptoms such as headaches, dry and irritated eyes, or blurred vision after working on a computer or mobile phone, these glasses can significantly reduce these symptoms.
- Children and adolescents: The lens of children’s eyes is clearer and transmits more blue light to the retina. Using these glasses can prevent possible damage, especially for adolescents who spend many hours playing or using mobile phones.
- Those who have had cataract surgery: After cataract surgery, the eyes become more sensitive to harmful light, and using these glasses can create an important protective layer.
- People with sleep disorders: If you use your mobile phone or tablet at night before bed and have trouble falling asleep, blockout glasses can help regulate your sleep cycle by filtering blue light in the late hours of the day.
Should we buy blockout glasses or not?
Considering all the information we reviewed, one thing is clear; Blockout and Blockout Control glasses are invaluable tools for protecting your eyes in today’s screen-filled world. Benefits like reduced fatigue, improved sleep, and long-term retinal protection make these glasses a smart choice.
For the average user who uses screens every day, purchasing an economical Blockout lens can be a great start. But for professional users like programmers, gamers, or graphic designers who spend long hours in front of a screen, purchasing a high-quality Blockout lens is a necessary investment to maintain long-term eye health and comfort.
Ultimately, no tool or glasses can replace proper eye care. However, by using Blockout and Blockout Control glasses, you can take a big step towards preserving this valuable investment. So remember; take care of your eyes!