Think of how much of your day is spent looking at a screen. At work you flip on a computer. When you get home you turn on the TV. Hell, we can’t be the only ones who scroll through Twitter in the bathroom, right? So, if you’re wondering why your eyes hurt all the time and you’re getting more headaches and less sleep, well, maybe there’s a correlation. Enter Felix Gray, a company making eyeglasses designed to alleviate these 21st Century issues. We tried a pair of their glasses for a month to see if they do just that. Here’s what we found:
What Are They?
Eyeglasses with lenses that filter blue light, the light emitted from screens that is said to mess with our circadian rhythm and our body’s ability to produce melatonin. The glasses also reduce glare and slightly magnify what you’re looking at. All of these features are aimed at reducing the strain on your eyes and helping you get better shut eye.
Who Are They Made For?
Those of us who work in front of a computer all day long. So, yeah, a lot of people.
How Do They Feel?
They’re made from Italian acetate and finished with barrel hinges, which means they’re a lot like most prescription glasses on the market. And with even prescriptions lenses being made out of high-tech plastics these days, the glasses honestly feel the same as a pair you’d wear if your vision wasn’t perfect.
What We Liked
As with anything we’re going to wear, we care how a pair of glasses look. If those glasses the eye doctor gives you after putting drops in helped with the strain associated with computers, we’d say bring on the strain. Luckily, Felix Gray offers a small selection of stylish frames. Currently, they offer five distinct pairs, which you choose from primarily based on the size of your noggin. They look good on you, which is surprising considering how often “wearables” get the function right but the style wrong (*cough* Google Glass *cough*).
What We Disliked
The warm tones take some getting used to. If you’ve activated “Night Shift” on your iPhone, where your smartphone kills blue light at night, you know how different your screen can look. That’s how it feels all the time with Felix Gray eyeglasses on. Give it a couple of days, however, and you’ll get used to it.
Coolest Feature
Blue light reduction. While we’re sure that glare reduction and magnification helps, it’s really the squashing of disruptive blue light that makes these eyeglasses beneficial. Killing that end of the spectrum offers a noticeable and immediate benefit. The strain and dryness you feel from looking at your computer all day disappears rather quickly.
Would We Buy Them?
We can’t say whether our sleep quality was better, as we’re not 100% sure how to scientifically measure that without the assistance of a professional. What we can confirm, however, is that we felt less tired after work every day. Was that the glasses? Well, we didn’t suddenly switch to a diet of acai bowls and Halo Top, so we’re going to take an educated stab at this and say the glasses helped. That’s awesome. Couple that with the fact that our eyes did indeed hurt less at work and, well, $95 doesn’t sound all that bad.
