These days, almost everyone spends hours looking at screens all day. Whether you work online, in an office, are an Instagram influencer, or simply love to binge watch on Netflix, chances are your eyes are being damaged by the blue light screens emit. Blue light glasses are a popular option for protecting your eyes, but you might be wondering: Do blue light glasses cause headaches?

Blue light glasses are actually supposed to protect you from headaches, not cause them. Although some users have reported getting headaches when using blue light glasses, it is more likely that the screen time is what is causing the headache, not the glasses themselves.

In this article, we will discuss exactly what blue light is, why it can cause headaches, how blue light glasses work, and even how they can reduce headaches after a full day of looking at a screen. So keep reading; we have everything you need to know about blue light glasses right here. 

What Is Blue Light?

Before we dig into blue light glasses, it’s first important to understand exactly what blue light actually is. Essentially, all the light we see and don’t see, whether it be natural light, UV rays, or the light from a screen, is made up of waves. The shorter the waves, the harder it is to see and the more detrimental it is to your eyesight. 

Blue light is made up of very short waves, and they are actually more similar to UV rays than to natural light. Consequently, blue light is bad for your eyes and can cause headaches, migraines, blurred vision, and fatigue. 

Because most people spend an average of seven hours every day looking at screens, blue light damage is a big problem amongst the majority of the world’s population. 

Does Blue Light Cause Headaches?

Viewing blue light for extended periods of time can absolutely cause headaches. The strain it puts on the eyes leads to head pain and even debilitating migraines in some people. 

A way to combat these problems and keep your head healthy is to wear blue light glasses when looking at your smartphone, tablet, or computer for long periods of time. 

What Do Blue Light Glasses Do?

The lenses in blue light glasses do not have a prescription but instead have a special tempered glass that reduces the amount of blue light that enters the eyes. 

Blue light glasses have become extremely popular for those who work online, and while they will certainly make your eyes more comfortable, there is no scientific research that says blue light glasses will actually decrease the harm screens are afflicting on your eyes. 

The best way to protect your eyes and reduce headaches from blue lights is to simply take breaks throughout your day, keep your eyes moist, and decrease the blue light on your screen. 

Do Blue Light Glasses Cause Headaches?

Great news: blue light glasses do not specifically cause headaches. 

However, it is important to note that while most blue light glasses companies promote that the glasses will protect your eyes and therefore decrease headaches, there really isn’t enough research to confirm that claim. 

If you get a headache while wearing blue light glasses and looking at your screen for hours, it is the blue light’s fault you have a headache, not the glasses themselves. 

While using blue light glasses may help reduce your headaches, the best way to ensure you keep your head ache-free is to take frequent breaks from the screen, as well as decrease the blue light on the screen itself. 

What to Do if You Have a Blue Light Headache

If you simply could not step away from the screen and the blue light glasses aren’t doing the trick, and you wind up with a headache, here are a few solutions you should try: 

  • Step away from the screen for at least twenty minutes. 
  • Drink water. 
  • Apply an ice pack to your head. 
  • Take ibuprofen or another headache reliever. 
  • Set your screen to an eye-comfort mode. 

Once again, blue light glasses are certainly not the culprit if you get a headache while looking at your screen; but wearing them could help alleviate or at least decrease the number of headaches you get. 

The Bottom Line

So, do blue light glasses cause headaches? No, they absolutely do not. 

However, blue light glasses, although they claim to protect your eyes from LED and other blue light damage from screens, might not be able to protect you from getting a headache after hours of screen time. 

Make sure that even if you are wearing blue light glasses while you work or scroll, you are still taking frequent breaks away from the screen, keeping your eyes moist, and decreasing the blue light on your screen to a minimum with the eye-comfort mode.