7 Aug 2025: Nowadays, many people who spend long hours looking at screens — even those without vision problems — are wearing expensive anti-glare, blue-cut glasses. Some people have become so used to these glasses that if they look at a laptop, phone, or any screen without them, they start getting headaches. The common belief behind this is that the blue light emitted from laptops and desktops can harm the eyes, and blue-cut glasses protect against this damage. Generally, every eyewear seller promotes these glasses as the best protection for your eyes. But have you ever asked a doctor whether wearing anti-glare blue light filter glasses is truly necessary? Are they genuinely effective, and do they really protect your eyes? If not, let’s find out from doctors.
Dr. Ajay Dabe, a renowned eye specialist from Delhi, says there are two types of blue light. One type is harmful to the eyes, while the other is not. Physics tells us that the blue light emitted from modern TV and mobile screens falls within a non-harmful range. This light is not strong enough to damage our eyes, affect the retina, or weaken our vision. However, that doesn’t mean screens don’t harm our eyes — they do, but for different reasons.
Dr. Rajiv Mukherjee, senior consultant and eye surgeon at Delhi’s Mukherjee Eye Clinic, explains that our eyes have a strong natural defense system that protects them from blue light and other types of radiation. Several studies have shown that there’s no need for additional protection against blue light from screens. So, if you work for long hours on a laptop, phone, TV, or desktop, it is not necessary to wear anti-glare or blue light filter glasses. Even if you don’t wear them, it won’t make a difference to your eye health.
If not blue light, then what is the real threat?
Dr. Rajiv says that the blue light from screens is not dangerous for the eyes. Rather, the real problem is the way people look at screens. Many eye problems arise due to poor screen habits. These days, people hold screens just 33 to 40 centimeters away from their eyes and stare at them continuously for long periods. Whether it’s a phone or a laptop, looking at a screen for several hours without breaks is leading to a rapid rise in issues like myopia (nearsightedness) and dry eyes. As a result, vision numbers increase, and people start seeing distant objects as blurry — or their long-distance vision becomes so weak that they can’t see anything clearly.
If you want to keep your eyes healthy, there’s only one important step to take. Dr. Mukherjee suggests that if you need to work on a screen and want to maintain your eye health, the simplest solution is to stand up and look at a distant object after every hour of screen time. Do this for 5 minutes each hour. Many people make the mistake of checking their phone during a break, which means their eyes never truly rest. Avoid this mistake completely.
Summary:
Doctors say blue-cut anti-glare glasses help reduce digital eye strain and glare, especially during screen time, but don’t completely protect against long-term vision problems.