Best blue light glasses for combatting digital eye strain

Felix Gray(opens in a new tab) has pretty much mastered blue light blocking glasses as it stands right now. Their modest collection of stylish frames reach across the whole gamut of face shapes, and will instill confidence in whoever's donning them. 

Each pair is made of premium Italian acetate — meaning that snapping them is nearly impossible. Instead, the material will bend whichever way you want, making quick adjustments a breeze. Unlike other glasses of this kind, Felix Gray's lenses aren't coated with blue light blocking material. Instead, the technology is all inside the lenses, meaning you can't scratch off the stuff that's protecting your eyes. 

Perhaps the best part about Felix Gray's lenses is that there is basically no visible yellow tint, making these perfect for those concerned about how they look in their specs. These are also great for, say, graphic designers or artists, because the integrity of colors will always stay intact. 

And if you didn't already know, too much blue light exposure before bedtime can adversely affect your circadian rhythm. That's why the company also offers special "sleep glasses(opens in a new tab)" that are designed to be worn after-hours — AKA when you're snuggled up on the couch watching Netflix. In addition to blue light, these are meant to also block ambient lighting (like fluorescent lights), helping promote melatonin production and affording you better night's rest. Of course, the regular blue light blocking glasses will suffice, too. 

The price jump from more inexpensive brands is honestly justified here — you really get what you pay for. If you're willing to dish out just a little bit more for your blue light glasses, these are the ones to get, hands down.

Warby Parker is among the most well known brands in optical fashion. With a large selection of styles (that we must say all look extremely good), it's no wonder why their made-to-order glasses have been flying off the shelves and making huge waves with millennials and other generations alike. This is most likely not only because of their looks, but also because of their low price compared to more expensive brands like Ray-Ban (and at the same level of quality).

What's more is that Warby is also a company that's looking to make a difference — with their "buy a pair, give a pair" policy, the brand donates a new pair of glasses to someone in need for every Warby Parker product purchased.   

What you might not have known is that Warby Parker has their own blue light blocking(opens in a new tab) line of frames as well — and they live up to the high bar that has been set by the brand. Made from cellulose acetate, or as they refer to it, "the caviar of plastics," any pair of frames that you purchase from them are guaranteed to be durable, hypoallergenic, and exceptionally eye-catching. 

Warby's blue light blocking specs are pretty comparable to those of Felix Gray. Premium materials, non-tinted lenses, and jealousy-inducing styles (albeit a larger selection) all come included in the package.

But, at the end of the day, these are a close second to Felix Gray, mainly because of the price difference. Warby Parker up-charges a full $50 more than Felix Gray to add blue light blocking lenses to your frames.

You probably wouldn't know it unless you were heavily involved in the gaming community, but avid players are at monumental risk(opens in a new tab) for digital eye strain. To no one's surprise, playing video games for hours can basically fry your eyeballs — and that's why Gunnar(opens in a new tab) was created. 

Designed to protect the pupils of not only video game fans, but anyone who finds themselves often in front of a screen, Gunnar's products have seen a large spike of popularity in the gaming community due to the sheer strength of their blue light blocking capabilities. Of course, with that strength comes a really glaring amount of tint in their lenses — like, they are really yellow. If you get a pair of Gunnars, we suggest you keep them strictly for screen-time usage and get a different pair for more social settings.

That's pretty much where the negatives end, though. Gunnar glasses absolutely excel in the areas of strength and comfort: they provide great protection, cutting down on glare and harmful blue light exposure, without sacrificing clarity and focus (which is very important to gamers, especially esports professionals). 

If you're not concerned with tinted lenses and your priority is exclusively eye protection, Gunnar will surely do the trick and allow your eyes to finally relax.  

Zenni Optical(opens in a new tab)'s blue light blocking glasses are a great option for anyone who's on a budget. Starting at just $16.95, these affordable frames are made from decent-quality acetate, so you won't have to worry too much about them breaking on you (just maybe keep them in a case if you can).

The aptly named "Blokz" come in an extensive variety of pretty cool styles — there's truly a pair here for everyone. But of course, with the lower price, you naturally sacrifice some of the quality. 

The downside of going with a budget brand like Zenni really comes down to the quality of the actual blue light blocking lenses. With Blokz, you'll certainly notice a slight yellow tint in each lens, which a huge turn off for some people (unless you don't plan on wearing them outside of the office — if that's the case, who cares?). Also, because the lenses are coated with the blue light blocking material, their protective layer can get scratched off over time — eventually rendering them useless. 

If you can overlook the small amount of shortcomings and are more comfortable making a purchase in the $16-$35 range, Zenni Blokz are probably the perfect way to go for you. They could also be a good way to test out this whole blue light blocking thing before you invest in a more premium pair.

Although their main website(opens in a new tab) prices their glasses at around $38, this pair(opens in a new tab) of Cyxus blue light blocking glasses on Amazon is one of the cheapest we found in our search (they're also a best seller).

With these glasses, you only get what you pay for, but they definitely serve their purpose. If anything, they make for a great backup companion to your nicer pair of blue light blockers, or can even be that pair of glasses that you chuck into your bag and just kind of forget about until you need them again. 

They aren't too fragile, but could definitely break if pushed in the wrong direction with a bit of force. One thing you'll definitely want to be aware of is the yellow tint in the lenses — it's pretty noticeable in this case, and even emit a slightly blue tint at certain angles when viewed from the outside looking in. If you're buying these, it's for the convenient price, not because you're being overly fashion-conscious. 

Cyxus' blue light blocking glasses get the job done just fine, and are the pair our editor wears pretty often. Amazon user Amanda C.(opens in a new tab), who really enjoyed these glasses, had this to say:

"These actually made a difference. I work on my computer 9+ hours a day and have to stare at my screen for long lengths of time reading. My head and eyes would hurt so bad every night, making it impossible to do anything after work. Now I feel so much less foggy and much more alert. They’re actually really cute on too!"

Prospek(opens in a new tab)'s blue light blocking glasses are probably most comparable to the Cyxus brand that we talked about earlier — they're just a bit pricier, but also better in terms of overall quality. 

The polycarbonate frames feel durable, and Prospek offers a bunch of different options to choose from — not just in terms of style, but also in terms of blocking strength and tint (there are even a few kids frames up for grabs). 

There isn't much bad to say about these glasses. The anti-scratch, anti-glare lenses work well, the frames are comfortable and somewhat stylish, and they are overall a solid middle-of-the-road option for blue light blocking glasses. 

If you have your doubts, just take a look at what Amazon user LE(opens in a new tab) had to say about Prospek:

"A friend who had purchased a slightly less expensive brand before trying Prospek recommended these as the best blue blockers they had tried to help relieve the strain on my eyes from sitting in front of a computer screen all day and working under florescent lights. I saw a difference immediately; a white screen looks warmer instead of having the harsh blue glare. They helped eliminate the tight, tired and strained feeling in my eyes within minutes. I no longer feel the need to blink constantly or squeeze my eyes shut every few minutes as I did before wearing Prospeks. I wear them to watch TV at home too and with other devices such as tablets, Kindle Fire, and my cell phone."

Typically known for being a stylish sunglasses brand, Quay Australia(opens in a new tab) also makes their own line of blue light blocking glasses — and they haven't lost any bit of their fashion sense in doing so. (They're the only brand we found with heart-shaped (opens in a new tab)frames(opens in a new tab)). 

The Quay Australia blue light blockers are a perfect marriage of style and substance. Not only do they have an array of unique looks, but they also function like you'd expect a good pair of blockers to — by protecting your delicate eyes and ensuring that you'll feel confident while wearing them. 

While there isn't much of a yellow tint to their lenses, you can certainly notice a little bit of a blue glare on the surface when you're in front of a screen — most blue light blocking glasses experience this, but when you're paying upwards of $50, you'd hope that it wouldn't be so apparent. 

Other than that, these are a good option for those who don't yet want to take the plunge into Felix Gray and Warby Parker territory, but still want something high-quality. 

We'd place Pixel Eyewear(opens in a new tab) just below Felix Gray and Warby Parker, although they get damn-near close to being on the very same level — which is pretty good considering that Pixel blue light blocking glasses run about $20 cheaper than those brands.

Made from high-quality acetate, Pixel Eyewear delivers durable, comfortable frames that look wonderful on any face. The tint on these lenses is barely there (really, you need to be looking very closely to see any blue or yellow in these babies), so feel free to wear them out and about if you so please. 

The only place where Pixel loses out a little bit is that they make use of coated lenses. As we mentioned before, this means that the blue light blocking material protecting your eyes can eventually get scratched over time, and you'll have to get a new pair when that finally happens. But if you take good care of them, you won't have to worry about that for quite some time.

Pixel Eyewear shopper Cory H. was especially jazzed about his purchase from the brand:

"I work in insurance and am on my computer for 8 hours a day, at the end of the day my eyes were so strained and my head would hurt so bad I would just be drained. After only 1 day of wearing these glasses I not only find myself not having headaches and eye strain, but I also have more energy. I love my new Pixel Glasses!!!!"

MVMT(opens in a new tab)'s Everscroll blue light blocking glasses are a solid choice thanks to their high-quality frames and lenses. If anything, they are pretty much interchangeable with Pixel Eyewear — it'll really just come down to your preferred style of frames. 

MVMT has probably the best selection of square-shaped frames on this list — so, all of our square-faced friends should pay attention to these for sure. Like Warby Parker, MVMT also uses cellulose acetate to make their frames, so you know they'll be durable and last you for the foreseeable future.  

The one knock against MVMT that we have to mention are their included lenses. They are very slightly yellow, but at some angles they give off an unsightly blue and green glare that isn't too fun to look at. For $75, this shouldn't be the case. 

It isn't the worst thing in the world though, and if you're looking for a cool pair of square-framed blue light blocking glasses, we think that the glare is forgivable and well worth the overall product you'll be getting.