I Wore Blue-Light, Screen Glasses For A Week

Éadaoin Fitzmaurice

I get up, I go to work, I sit looking between two computer screens for eight hours.

I go home, I check my phone during my commute home, I chill on the couch and watch Love Island for an hour and twenty minutes, I go to bed. By the time I lie down my head is spinning, pounding and my eyes sting.

But why?

Computer screens, phones and television emit a different kind of light called blue light. This light is actually damaging to the cells of the retina in the eye. We all know the importance of wearing sun glasses when we go out but it’s only now that it’s becoming evident that we should do the same when we sit in front of a screen for long periods of time.

The Digital Generation are experiencing eye strain.

Digital Eye Strain is what causes those awful headaches and tired eyes. Over 90% of digital employees experience symptoms without even realising they have it.

Have you ever stayed up a little too late watching Netflix and then you find it impossible to sleep after?

*Lightbulb moment*

I spend most of my day looking at a screen and recently I’ve been getting headaches, migraines and I’ve had trouble sleeping. A friend suggested to me to purchase a pair of screen glasses to combat the issue. At that point, I had no idea such a thing even existed.

That’s when I came across Irish company Ambr Eyewear.

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What’s the suss?

I bought my glasses online, which I was pretty sceptical of, at first.

How was I meant to know if they’d fit correctly, or look good?

The site is easy to navigate through and has a load of information, if you want to learn more about the product.

The store is simple but effective, they offer six styles of frame and each style has a few colour variations.

I picked three shapes that I liked best and uploaded a picture of myself to see how they would look. It definitely took me a while to find a picture where the glasses virtually fit me correctly, as I tend to take photos from a side angle and not straight on. I would have liked also to have been able to move the glasses that virtually appeared over my face in the photo, to the correct place. When I tried, it seemed they were locked to the one place.

I ended up going for a style that wasn’t originally my first choice but looked best in the Virtual Try On.

The prices range from €49-56, which I was pretty happy with, especially if it’s for something I plan to wear every single day.

I paid for standard shipping and received my glasses about three days later.

What was your first impression?

As soon as I received my glasses I put them on. For someone who had never worn glasses before , I did find it a little strange at first. I could see the frames from the side of my eye and could feel my eyes trying to adapt to them.

After the first day, it was plain sailing from there.

I chose the style Nova in the shade Dark Tortoise and they cost €56.

Appearance wise, I hoped for my Dark Tortoise frame to be a bit more patchy, like it was in the photo – Mine are mostly dark brown with only a few, small lighter blotches. The lenses have the slightest green tint to them but it’s barely visible.

I felt a little self conscious the first few times I wore the glasses in work. A few co-workers pointed out that they didn’t know I wore glasses. As soon as I explained, they seemed really interested and it seemed to be a bit of a conversation starter for the week.

I have always liked glasses and as soon as I put them on I felt like I was in work mode. By the end of the first day I had noticed that I hadn’t needed to take any pain killers for headaches or any strolls around the office to relieve my stinging eyes. I did however, feel a little tired as I think my eyes were trying to adjust to it.

How did you feel after a week?

After a week, I feel like I can definitely spend more time at a screen and I find it easier to concentrate. I’m sleeping better for sure and I think they look slick.

It’s one of those products I wanted for quite some time and as soon as I bit the bullet and bought them, I can’t imagine my working day without them.

I still get tired of looking at a screen, of course, but I have seen improvements so I’m really happy with the product as a whole.

I think I will probably have to wear them for a few more weeks before I notice any huge changes.

Goodbye tired eyed gal, hello buzzy work bee!