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Has your child’s screen time soared since the since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic? Between online classes, family Zoom hangouts and letting your kiddo binge “Frozen 2” on Disney+ so you can actually get some work done, you’re certainly not alone in turning to the internet these days.
If you’re worried about what all of that time in front of a tablet or computer could be doing to your kid’s eyes, you probably shouldn’t stress too much. In fact, there’s no scientific evidence that blue light from those screens causes lasting or significant damage — but it could affect other aspects of their well-being.
Blue light has been shown to disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, or the wake-sleep cycle, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. That means when your kid stays up late finishing homework — or watches a movie or plays a video game before bedtime ― it could potentially mess with their sleep cycle and cause minor problems like headaches and dry eyes.
An easy prevention? Doctors recommend frequent breaks from screens to rest the eyes, as well as sitting farther from the screen and using eye drops, if needed. Ditching contacts for glasses might also save some eye strain. If you’re looking to make the change from contacts to glasses, there are plenty of places to buy glasses online for cheap, like EyeBuyDirect and GlassesUSA.
But if you just want an extra bit of protection to save you kid’s eyes from all that screen time, blue light-blocking glasses might be a good alternative, too. They work by filtering out the blue light from screens before it reaches your eyes.
There are a lot of blue light glasses out there for all ages and styles from sites like EyeBuyDirect, GlassesShop and even Amazon. In fact, many of these kids blue light glasses are regular glasses frames that you can order with or without a prescription — just be sure to request blue light-blocking lenses for them when you purchase.
If you’re worried about extra screen time, we’ve rounded up some of the most popular and stylish blue light glasses for kids below.
Take a look:
