Blue light glasses are a helpful tool for teachers looking to protect their eyes from excessive blue light that comes from staring at a computer screen for hours and hours early in the morning while teaching class.
With excessive staring at a screen your eyes tend to dry out, it becomes difficult to manage back to back classes and you’re eyes become heavy and sore. This is normally not an issue if you do a small amount of classes, but what if you want to teach 3 or 4 hours every morning, if not more?
Digital eye strain management
To manage the strain you’re putting on your eyes, the team here at Teach and GO first suggest a few practical steps before considering purchasing a pair of fashionable, low priced blue light glasses. Implement these steps first before making a purchase decision to see if they help.
Turn your night setting on your laptop
Did you know that Windows 10 PC’s have a night setting mode that you can enable? Before doing anything else, please enable the night setting mode as it will reduce the blue light of your screen to a nice warm, reddish/orange color.
To get started simple search for “display settings” in your windows search bar:
Then turn on the night light setting. Make sure to not over do it so you don’t appear to be a weird color to your student:
Use eye drops
Eye drops are cheap and make a world of difference if you’re going to be teaching online. While during your short break in between classes, use your handy, everyday eye drops to keep your eyes comfortable for long periods of online teaching. Not only does it help keep your eyes healthy, it helps prevent dryness and strain on your eyes.
You can buy eye drops online (see on Amazon) with ease or pick up a bottle at your local pharmacy.
Improve your lighting
We have a completely dedicated guide to video lighting for an online class you should consider checking out. In short, if where you’re teaching has mediocre lighting it’s a good idea to buy some very affordable lighting.
Not only does lighting improve your online class experience for the student, it helps your vision as well. We have two main suggestions for lighting. First is to purchase a small ring light (see our guide) that you can get that is designed for make-up, but works quite well for lighting your face for online class.
The second option is to get a dedicated webcam that has a built in ring light that is designed for YouTube streamers. As a webcam not only improves the quality of your video but one with a built in ring light reduces the strain on your eyes.
7 Essential Blue Light Glasses for Online Teachers
With those online teaching best practices out of the way, a last step you can take it to purchase some affordable blue light glasses. Not only are they helpful for online class due to you needing to stare at the screen for a long time, they are also practical for everyday use.
So here are Teach and GO’s guide to the best blue light glasses for online teachers. All the glasses on this list have been used by our team. No pair of glasses that would be inappropriate for a working professional are considered (we say this because numerous pairs of glasses seemed to be designed for cyclists).
- ANRRI Blue Light Glasses
- Livho Light Blocking Glasses
- Gamma Ray Light Blocking Glasses
- Feiyold Blue Light Blockers
- Swanwhick Daytime
- Gunnar Gaming Glasses
- Life Art Anti-Eye Strain Glasses
ANRRI Blue Light Glasses – The Affordable Choice for Men and Women
These blue light glasses are uni-sex but have a design that men and women with a more oval shape face will love. Coming in different colors from black, pink, clear and animal print, you can get the style that fits you.
In terms of their build quality with regards to if they work on not they are effective from our observation at reducing dizziness and fatigue associated with staring at a screen for an extended period of time.
Pros:
- Effective at making long session in front of a computer more comfortable.
- Great price point.
- Multiple designs that appeal to both men and women.
Cons:
- If you’re a man with a larger head and face these won’t fit your face.
Livho Light Blocking Glasses – The Stylish Option
Want a pair of well built, stylish but mediocre blue light blocking glasses? Then take a look at Livho. Livho light blocking classes come in a 2 pair pack for him and her.
Built with a composite frame, these non-polarized glasses help reduce digital eye strain and visual fatigue from long periods in front of a computer or phone. With using the right mix of other techniques to manage digital eye strain, these are nice addition.
The only issue is that they are only sightly effective at blocking blue light but do excel at being anti-glare.
Pros:
- Cheap, stylish glasses that reduce eye strain.
- Multiple designs but more geared for women than men.
Cons:
- Mediocre as a blue light blocker but for the price they are acceptable.
Gamma Ray Light Blocking Glasses – The Affordable Option that Works
These blue light blocking glasses provide tremendous value for anyone looking to reduce the amount of UV and harmful blue light they expose their eyes too.
If you’re someone who will be in front of a computer for a few hours then these gamma ray light blocking glasses may be for you. With a slight magnification similar to reading glasses, these glasses do in fact block blue enough so you can sit in front of a computer more comfortably for longer periods of time.
If you’re looking for a proven pair of blue light blocking glasses these may be your pair. The only issue however is the lack of style choice as they are a “one size fits all” which in reality is never true.
Pros:
- These appear to work. At least from our using them, we noticed it was easier to sit in front of the computer.
- The price is quite affordable.
- Designed for professional use.
Cons:
- One size fits all design approach. If you have a long face or a big head these won’t fit properly.
- Designed more for a female audience.
Feiyold Blue Light Blockers – The Retro Style
These glasses come as a pair for a great low price. The style however is not for everyone and we have to admit these look better on most women than they do men. But if you are a woman looking for a fashionable pair of blue light blockers that work, these Feiyold blue light blockers are a good choice.
They come in various colors from your neutral black or white which is ideal for men or women, to more flashy and stylish prints aimed at women. Most importantly however, these appear from our use to actually work at blocking blue light. Making long hours in front of a screen more comfortable.
Pros:
- Stylish.
- Affordable.
- The appear to work.
Cons:
- Style looks better on women than men.
Swanwhick Daytime – The Professional Option
These blue light blocking glasses are not only stylish, effective and well built – they also look fantastic on both men and women. They are a bit cost prohibitive however. Particularly when you have various other options that are more affordable.
However, if you’re looking for a quality pair of blue light blocking, UV protective anti-glare glasses these are the best you can get. While these Swanwhick glasses cost a bit more than most blue light blockers the build quality is the difference.
Pros:
- Premium build, not cheap and plastic like other glasses.
- These are designed well to block blue light and prevent eye strain.
Cons:
- They have a higher price point than their competitors.
Gunnar Gaming Glasses – The best choice for men
Finally on the list we have a great pair of glasses for men. Not to say women can’t use and enjoy these gaming glasses but the target market is men. They are a bit wide so if your face is more narrow they may not fit your face correctly.
The frames are light and plastic and won’t weigh down your nose for extended use. They also work well for their intended use. That is, blocking blue light so you can sit in front of a computer for a long time doing work or teaching a class.
The build quality of these however is a bit dubious. Our first pair was slightly crooked in terms of how they sat on the nose and ears. The next pair we had broke after 2 months of use. Overall these work but they are a bit flimsy in terms of their quality which is quite disappointing.
Pros:
- Excellent style for men.
- These work well at making work in front of a computer more comfortable.
Cons:
- The build quality of these frames need to be improved.
Life Art Anti-Eye Strain Glasses -The stylish glasses for female teachers
Last on the list are the Life Art blue light blocking glasses. These are lovely little pair perfect for a female teacher. Round and cute with various prints and colors to choose from. You also get a blue light test, case and little cleaning cloth with your purchase.
These are perfect for a woman as the frames themselves are not particularly wide and most men would find these uncomfortable as they would squeeze the sides of your head a bit much.
If however you’re a woman who’s style is big round lenses then consider these. They work as blue light blockers and have that professional look you need for teaching an online class.
Blue Light Glasses that Reduce Eye Strain For Teachers
So that is it for this Teach and GO guide to the best blue light glasses for teachers. There are quite a few on the list that are excellent. We did find it a bit frustrating however that most of the pairs and styles for men were few and far between.
Regardless, getting a pair of blue light blocking glasses for your online class is a great way to protect your eyes. Remember to get a pair that is also appropriate for an online class -meaning no weird color lenses or lenses that don’t fit your face correctly.
