Identify anti-blue light glasses: 8 easy ways to try at home

Blue light-blocking glasses are very popular and there are hundreds of brands to choose from. But how do you know if your glasses are really blue light resistant? Luckily you don’t have to be an optometrist to know – there are home tests to gauge the quality of your lenses. We’ve put together here a few tests to determine if your glasses really block blue light. If you want to know how, read on!

Table of Contents

Check the light shining through white lenses

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Light reflected from the lenses will show blocked colors. Hold your lenses in front of a light source and check the color reflected from the lenses. If you see blue, then your glasses are blocking blue light to some degree. ^{[1] X Research Source}

This test works with white lenses for day wear and special glasses for computers.
This is the simplest test you can do at home, but it doesn’t tell you how much blue light the glasses block (ideally 30%).

Look at the sky with white lenses

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The blue color of the sky when viewed through white anti-blue light lenses will turn slightly yellow. White glasses have a yellow tint that will not be visible when you put them on your eyes. To check if your glasses have a yellow tint, go out and hold your glasses up to the blue sky on a clear, bright day. If you see a warmer or yellow sky through your lenses, your glasses should be able to block at least some of the blue light.

Looking at the white background through white lenses

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If your glasses block blue light, the whites of the lenses will turn slightly yellow. For this test, you only need a white background (a computer screen or a blank sheet of paper is enough). Hold the glasses above the white background and look through the glasses to check the yellow tint. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The color of the white background will warm up a bit, because there are special pigments in the lenses that are designed to absorb the passing blue light.
If the lens is white and the background color doesn’t warm, that means it has a simple anti-glare layer that filters out about 5-20% of blue light at most.

Comparison of orange lenses with screens in “night mode”

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The screen in “night mode” looks like it was viewed through orange lenses. Many devices have a “night mode” that blocks blue light on the screen. First, look at your phone or computer in “night mode” without glasses; then turn off night mode and wear glasses to look at the screen. Depending on the strength of the night mode, you’ll find the image will have a similar warmth or yellow-orange hue. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

On Apple devices, this setting is called “night shift”. On Android called blue light filter.
The night mode setting has essentially the same effect as blue light glasses, but not all devices have the software.
There are a variety of free anti-blue light software available for computers and other devices that don’t include night mode.

Tested by black and blue square test

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Blue will turn black when viewed through dark orange or red lenses. Darker night glasses can block most (if not all) blue light. You can go online to search for “black and blue square test” to get an image of a black square next to a blue square. Put your glasses on and see how the blue square changes to test the glasses. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

If your glasses filter out blue light, the blue square will turn black or dark gray.
If the blue square is still blue, your glasses can’t block enough blue light.

Look at the RGB color chart

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The orange and red glass will make the blue part darker in the RGB color chart. “RGB” stands for “red, green, blue,” and will show you all the colors the human eye can see. Look for “RGB cpor chart” or “RGB cpor wheel” and look at the chart through your glasses to check your glasses’ blue light resistance. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

The blue part of the histogram or wheel will turn gray or black if your glasses are resistant to blue light. The green part will be darker.
The darker the green, the better (especially orange and red glasses designed for night use).

Ask the manufacturer for a spectral report.

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The spectrum report will show the full spectrum of light blocked by the lens. If it’s a reputable manufacturer, they won’t hesitate to send you a report (if they insist that you trust them, this is a warning sign). With special white glasses for computers, check to make sure they filter out at least 30% of blue light before buying. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Yellow glasses worn at night or driving glasses need to block about 65-70% of blue light.
Orange and red night glasses designed for sleeping need to block 95-100% of blue light.
No matter what color the glass is – white, yellow, orange or red, a spectrum report is useful.

Try on glasses for a few days

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Try wearing glasses for a few days and notice if you improve your sleep. If your glasses block enough blue light, you’ll find that your sleep duration and quality will be better, giving you more daytime energy and increased productivity. There’s no harm in wearing blue light-blocking glasses, even if they don’t reflect blue light. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Many manufacturers offer customers a trial period to see if it works.
The trial works for any color of glasses, but orange or red will have a greater impact on sleep than white glasses.
The effect is especially noticeable for people of the “night owl” type who often stay up late.
Anti-blue light glasses do not help reduce eye strain. It just helps you sleep better, as blue light messes with your circadian rhythm (the feeling it’s time to go to bed). ^{[8] X Cleveland Clinic Trusted Source Go to Source}

Advice

The price of blue light blocking glasses does not always correspond to its effectiveness. However, glasses that block at least 30% of blue light and have anti-glare coating rarely cost less than $40.
If the manufacturer refuses to provide a report or you have doubts about its accuracy, take your glasses to your ophthalmologist or an independent company that has a laboratory spectrometer. They can tell you how much blue light is blocked and at what frequency. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Warning

Some companies offer “blue light pens” (small flashlights that shine blue light) that you can shine through your lenses to demonstrate that their glasses are resistant to blue light. However, these pens typically emit violet light (located right next to blue on the spectrum) rather than blue. This marketing tactic is often seen as deceptive. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Steps