Whether you’re a #girlboss starting a subscription box company or you’re crushing the nine-to-five as a key part of the team at one of the places everyone wants to work, chances are you spend a good part of your day at the computer or looking at your phone. While tech can totally make our jobs (and lives) easier, staring at a backlit screen for too long can have some pretty unfortunate effects, like red or twitchy eyes, physical fatigue and headaches. Yikes! A web producer and freelance writer, I’m definitely guilty of ODing on screen time, and I’ve started to worry about the dry eyes and headaches I’ve been regularly experiencing. So, in addition to scheduling timed breaks for my eyes, I decided to try some protective glasses that are made specifically for those of us who are ultra-dedicated to our devices. After a week of wearing ‘em, I was totally sold. Read on and you’ll understand why.
Day 1
My frames arrived today, woohoo! I was fortunate to snag styles I loved both WITH my prescription and without, so I can wear them either instead of or with my contacts. This is pretty ideal, as no two days are ever alike for me.
At first glance, I’m super intrigued by my new glasses. I LOVE how on-trend they look, which is right in line with my normal glasses from Warby Parker. Right away, I notice the distinct purple tint that appears on the front of each lens. Since it’s nighttime and I’m wearing my contacts when I open the box of new frames, I put on the non-prescription pair to spend an hour answering emails and then scroll through my social media feeds on my phone before bed. I don’t *feel* a difference yet, but I’m definitely excited to wake up and give the new glasses a true spin tomorrow.
Day 2
Today is Tuesday, a day I always reserve for “maker time” after a Monday spent on calls and check-in sessions with my clients and editors. Since I try my best to avoid scheduling meetings or coffee catch-ups with clients during this time, it’s ideal for wearing the EBD Blue prescription glasses instead of contacts.
I’m going into my experiment with no expectations, but I feel impressed as soon as I put the frames on and settle in. They feel as light on my face as they do in my hand, and the screen looks just as it does normally, despite the cool technology that promises to help protect my eyes against blue-violet light while eliminating UV and reflections.
Days 3-5
Though I’d read that glare can be a major problem and before considering protective glasses had already tried to reduce it by working where the walls are darker (rather than bright white), I still felt strain and fatigue after long days in front of my MacBook. It’s not too surprising, though: According to optometrist Gary Heiting on All About Vision, there are a number of common culprits for computer eyestrain:
- Brightness: Your surroundings should be about the same brightness as your screen display. Overhead fluorescent lights should be avoided, and drapes or blinds should be used to reduce sunlight.
- Text Size and Contrast: Dr. Heiting advises, “Adjust the text size and contrast for comfort, especially when reading or composing long documents.” He cites black type on a white background as the go-to combo.
- Color Temperature: I learned that short-wavelength blue light is visible light associated with more eyestrain than hues in longer wavelengths, such as orange or red — which digital protection works to fix by reducing the blue light from your color display.
Despite the fact that I hadn’t suffered a headache during my first full day sporting the lenses, I decide to take the tips into consideration during my experiment too, hoping to reduce the symptoms from my screens even more.
Day 6
I’ve been wearing my prescription pair of glasses all week and haven’t been feeling as terrible as I usually do, which is exciting. Because I usually wear contact lenses, it’s hard to figure out whether it’s ditching the contacts or the innovative technology that’s actually helping me feel better.
With a couple of in-person meetings today and less computer time, it’s the perfect opp to keep my contacts in and go back to the protection-only frames. I figure this will be an awesome way to truly know whether it’s the special lenses that are helping my dry eyes and headaches or just taking a break from my contacts.
By 4pm, wearing the glasses whenever I’m staring at my computer or phone screen, even in my contact lenses I’m still feeling pretty awesome. Sold!
Day 7
Though it’s the weekend, wearing the glasses has become a habit — so even when I sit down to tackle emails and scheduling, I put them on. By now, I definitely feel like I’m reaping the benefits of my totally cool and useful new glasses, and I couldn’t be happier about it. These specs are the must-have I’ll be recommending to friends, clients and collaborators for months to come.
Will you try glasses for the time you spend in front of your screens? Let us know on Twitter @BritandCo!
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
(Photos via Getty)
