ZEISS BlueGuard. If this name sounds familiar to you, it is probably because you have come across the commercial that has been broadcast on TV for a few days. The advertising focuses on the new ZEISS SmartLife lenses, lenses that can be integrated with the latest news from the German company. Among these is precisely BlueGuard, a studied material to block the harmful component of blue light. But is there really a need? And most importantly, does BlueGuard work? To find out, I decided to go to a ZEISS center and get a new pair of glasses.
Glasses against blue light: do we really need them?
Let’s start with an important assumption: blue light is not an absolute evil.
What we normally refer to as “blue light” actually corresponds to a wide range of wavelengths and not all of these wavelengths need to be blocked and avoided.
In short, can you imagine a life in which you no longer see blue?
Blue light then performs important functions in the course of our life: it regulates the sleep-wake cycle, stimulates the production of hormones and substances that are indispensable for us and promotes psychological well-being.
The modern world, however, exposes us to a higher amount of blue light than in the past. In fact, today we have computers, tablets, smartphones and even LED bulbs that emit blue light. That is why it has become essential to protect your eyes. And not just inside the home or office, mind you: spending time outdoors still exposes us to blue light.
This does not mean that we will all have to lock ourselves in the house, turn everything off and live like hermits. The secret is to be aware of the situation and always be advised by a professional, to find the best solution for our lifestyle and to better counteract the negative effects of blue light.
The word to the optician
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Relying on a professional means, in this case, go to the optician, perhaps after having made a first eye examination.
This is exactly what I did. I then found myself in a ZEISS Optical Center chatting with an expert. After recounting the experience with my previous glasses and explaining my habits, the optician suggested them to me SmartLife lenses from ZEISS in BlueGuard material.
Unlike traditional lens coatings, with BlueGuard it is the lens material itself that absorbs blue light instead of reflecting it. This means that the lenses protect you from blue light (and 100% UV rays too!) and help you counter digital visual stress; in addition, they reduce to a minimum those unsightly reflections that you may have seen during some video call with colleagues or some live online.
Once the expert has identified the right lenses – a task that, I remind you, is exclusively up to professionals -, I chose the frame and completed my order.
My experience with blue light glasses
Since the retreat, several days have now passed, days that I spent in the company of my new ones glasses against blue light and I can tell you that yes, they really make a difference.
The general feeling is that of having a filter in front of the eyes which tends slightly to yellow. It is not annoying and does not affect color vision though you will tire less in front of the PC, whether it is to work, to study or to play video games.
They come then considerably reduced the reflections of the screen on the lenses. Perhaps it is something you will notice less during video calls, where you may tend to focus on speech rather than video quality, but on the other hand it is a very useful feature for those who make content on social networks or live streaming.
The last thing I noticed is how much BlueGuard is a panacea in outdoor environments. For example, I used my new blue light goggles to drive and felt that my eyes were much less stressed.
Overall then the experience with ZEISS BlueGuard is more than positive. It is certainly a small investment but you gain a lot in terms of well-being. Your eyesight is more rested, you can avoid some annoying migraine attacks and you are also sure to have an effective filter that helps you take advantage of the benefits of blue light without falling victim to its negative effects.