I’ve been wearing glasses for most of my life, but I always buy them in person. Recently I looked into getting a pair of glasses for using with computer screens and I decided to order a pair from Eyebuy Direct.

GLASSES FOR DIGITAL SCREENS

Looking at digital screens all day is bad for your eyes. The blue light emitted from bright screens can cause eye strain, fatigue and headaches. Most phones and computers these days have applications which will change the amount of blue light being emitted. iPhones have night mode and for the Mac you can download f.lux which will do the same thing on your laptop. But glasses manufacturers are now jumping on the bandwagon and selling glasses with special coatings designed to block blue light.

Scientists seem to be in disagreement about how effective these glasses are at actually blocking blue light. Currently the only company making glasses which are proven to block blue light are Gunnar, though these glasses are mostly marketed at gamers.

Personally I’m a graphic designer. I spend most of my day looking at a computer screen. I can’t say how effective these glasses have been at reducing eye strain. But I know light from my laptop can keep me awake at night. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which makes this a problem. It has been proven that blue light at night prevents the brain from producing melatonin, which regulates our circadian systems.

I do a number of things to try and minimise how much my CFS affects daily life. Buying these glasses was just one of those things. I feel that by wearing glasses with a blue filter at night and using the red mode on my laptop and phone it is much easier for me to fall asleep. However that is just my experience and it could be entirely down to the placebo effect.

ORDERING FROM EYEBUY DIRECT

Eyebuy Direct have hundreds of frames to choose from, starting from as little as $6. One of the things I was worried about with ordering glasses online is that I couldn’t actually try them on. I am extremely picky when it comes to my glasses. My vision is bad enough that I need to wear glasses all the time which means getting ones I like is important.

The website has a few guides on choosing glasses that will work for the shape of your face. But I ended up measuring the length and width of a pair of glasses I knew I liked and looked for something similar on the website. This meant I ended up choosing a frame that was very similar to the ones I currently have. But it meant I knew I would like them too.

There are also a number of choices when it comes to lenses. If you don’t need glasses you can order frames just with glass. Or if you have a prescription you can input this information into your order. There is also two different types of blue light filters which you can add to your glasses.

One thing I need to note about Eyebuy Direct. Originally I assumed this website was based in the US. The site is quite nicely designed and the currency is in US dollars. However when my order arrived it was sent from China. Now I had no problems with my order and it arrived within a week. But I have seen a number of reviews from people who had problems with their order not turning up or their glasses falling apart. I didn’t have any of these problems but it is something to keep in mind if you do order from this site.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I really like my glasses. Ordering from the website was easy and it arrived with no problems. If you do need glasses it might be a good idea to get your eyes tested again before ordering. Just so you have the most up to date prescription. The digital screen protection I can’t comment on so much. I spend a good portion of my day looking at screens so if they do help that’s great and if they don’t I have a spare pair of glasses which is always handy.