Do Yellow Glasses Block Blue Light? How They Work + Benefits
January 23, 2025 • 8:29 PM
In the 2020s, it’s hard to go for long without looking at a screen. Whether it’s your smartphone, laptop, tablet, or otherwise, you see LED screens that emanate blue light all the time. This blue light can cause some issues in the short and long term, including possibly disrupting your sleep cycle.
Because blue light exposure in large amounts is generally considered to not be a good thing, there’s plenty of interest in blue light-filtering lenses. One of the most popular solutions is a pair of glasses with yellow-tinted lenses.
Here’s what you need to know about these lenses and how they’re relevant to the conversation about blue light and eye care.
What Are Yellow Blue Light Blocking Glasses?
In short, yellow glasses are prescription or non-prescription eyewear with yellow-tinted lenses —not to be confused with yellow eyeglass frames, which you can find in the Pair Shop.
Yellow glasses have built-in filtration for certain wavelengths of light. This is because a yellow tint can naturally absorb blue light, keeping it out of your eyes while you look at a digital screen.
A pair of yellow glasses are specially designed to counteract blue wavelengths of light, either reflecting them off of their surface or absorbing the light entirely. In addition, yellow lenses can increase a screen's contrast, making it easier to use a digital device like your phone or laptop in low-light conditions.
Since they improve contrast and make it easier to see in low light, yellow lenses are sometimes recommended for driving.
However, we’re uncertain about the benefits of these lenses when behind the wheel. In fact, some wearers report that the yellow tint makes it harder to make out important colors while driving at night —the hue of a stoplight or road sign, for example. As with all tinted lenses there is a limit to how dark the tint can be if they are used for night driving. Lenses with a light transmission of less than 75% are not recommended for night driving.
Do Yellow Glasses Block Blue Light?
High-quality yellow-tinted lenses do absorb or reflect a large amount of blue light, but the amount of filtering you get depends on the quality of your lenses. In addition, we think yellow glasses look a bit… odd.
When choosing blue light-filtering glasses, we recommend buying from a brand that uses an undetectable blue light coating instead of one with a yellow pigment. That way, you’ll get stylish, discreet blue light glasses that look like any regular pair of specs.
What Are the Benefits of Yellow Glasses?
Wearing yellow-tinted glasses — and blue light glasses in general — can have a range of benefits.
Below are some of the biggest perks of wearing a pair while using your digital devices:
Avoiding Digital Eye Strain
If you stare at a screen for hours a day, you’re likely to deal with a pesky and chronic issue called digital eye strain. It’s characterized by achiness around your eyes, eye fatigue, pressure, and occasional tension headaches.
Limiting artificial blue light exposure using computer glasses may help minimize digital eye strain, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s not a cure-all. Practicing everyday eye care and taking regular breaks from your digital devices is still important to avoid eye irritation and discomfort.
Seeing Better at Night
Yellow-tinted glasses can make it much easier to see at night without your eyes getting fatigued. We recommend blue light-filtering glasses anytime you’re doing some evening work on your laptop or kicking back to watch some Netflix at night.
The added contrast can make it easy to see a clear, sharp image in a low-light environment, but it can also make looking at a computer screen more comfortable.
As mentioned, it’s best to avoid wearing yellow-tinted glasses while driving at night. Instead, use them to improve your ability to see well, block out potentially harmful blue light, and feel comfortable at home.
Style and Aesthetics
Some folks love the distinct look of yellow lenses. They bring the geeky billionaire aesthetic of Tony Stark to mind. If that’s the look you’re going for, a pair of yellow-tinted blue light-filtering lenses can get the job done well.
Overall, yellow lenses have a more casual, function-over-form look than clear lenses, but they can also be a bit of a fashion statement. If you want to express yourself with colored lenses, yellow can be an interesting and eye-catching hue.
How To Choose a Pair of Blue Light Glasses
As we mentioned, yellow isn’t your only option for blue light-blocking lenses.
With Pair, you can get blue light glasses with no colored tint and a variety of useful extra features.
For example, our blue light lenses come with built-in anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, UV-blocking, and hydrophobic coatings at no added cost to you. These added features make our glasses perfect for everyone from gamers to WFH project managers — anyone who has a lot of screen time built into their day.
On the other hand, other brands often upcharge for these features and make them a la carte add-ons to prescription glasses rather than part of the basic package.
In addition, our lens coatings are designed to last as long as possible. We use thermal dip coating to add blue light filtration to all of our lens types, while many other brands opt for spin coating, the cost-cutting, lower-quality alternative. This difference means that your blue light lenses can last longer.
Plus, you need blue light glasses that match your style and do more than just function well. At Pair, we have you covered. Our stylish Base Frames can all come with added blue light filtration, but what sets us apart is our magnetic Top Frames. These attach seamlessly to your blue light glasses to create a new look.
Find a Pair You Love
With Pair, it’s easier than ever to prioritize eye health while looking your best. You've come to the right place if you’re looking for blue light glasses that perfectly match your style. You can take any pair for a test drive using our virtual try-on feature and checkout quickly and easily by importing your prescription.
Check out our full selection of blue light glasses today.
Sources:
Ultraviolet (UV) protection | AOA
Computer vision syndrome | AOA
Circadian Rhythm Disorders: Symptoms, Treatment & Types | Cleveland Clinic