Digital lenses for dummies

Our dependency on our gadgets has increased in the past few decades.

That’s not our fault. It’s basically unavoidable. It’s a must for our work, school, and of course, leisure time. This golden age of technology made it quite hard to reduce our screen consumption. With this dependency, new relatable terms emerged like pandemic screen time, doomscrolling, or digital detox.

But is digital detox enough? If that’s not doing the trick, then you might consider getting digital lenses.

“With this coating you get protection that reduces the harmful blue light emitted by digital screens,” reads HOYA’s description of digital lenses. “Put simply, it protects your eyes. It is the optimal solution for anyone who uses digital screens throughout the day.”

That should be enough proof to get that eyewear upgrade. However, as smart consumers, we love asking the question: Is it worth it?

Reading up on digital lenses’ pros and cons, their benefits, and everything in between can be a little overwhelming. Some pieces are loaded with technical terms a common consumer might not be familiar with. So to help everyone out, we made a little 101 cheat sheet on digital lenses and why it might be the perfect lens you’re looking for.

Okay, so what are digital lenses?

These lenses are manufactured with laser-cutting technology, in contrast to the grinding process involved with traditional lenses. Individual Vision Plans claims this process makes the lenses “nearly six times more clear than traditional ones, with enhanced nighttime vision and peripheral vision.”

In addition to these benefits, the Journal of Adolescent Health’s study says digital lenses can help filter out blue light emitted from electronic devices in order to reduce eye strain, headaches, and any sleeping issues caused by screen consumption.

Do they actually work? 

Well, it depends on who you ask. There are studies that question the benefits of digital lenses. It’s a fairly new product on the market and some medical professionals say that further research on its benefits is still needed. However, some eye professionals claim that their patients have benefited from this type of lens.

In writer Ralph Ellis’s WebMD piece on digital lenses, they interviewed Greg Rogers, a senior optician at Eyeworks in Decatur, GA. He says he’s seen how the customers benefited from getting digital lenses. “The staff asks a client how much time they spend in front of a screen daily,” writes Ellis.  “If it’s six hours or more, some sort of blue light reduction technique is recommended, whether it’s glasses or a special screen for a computer monitor.”

To digital lenses or not to digital lenses?

Everyone’s eye health is different from one another. Getting digital lenses isn’t the end all, be all solution to taking care of your eyes (practicing the 20-20-20 rule and digital detoxing every now and then is still a must). Although it’s not a bad purchase, if a daily routine involves a lot of unavoidable screentime. We encourage everyone to have their eyes check and seek a professional’s opinion. It’s good to be curious rather than going into a purchase clueless.

If you want to get that second opinion ASAP or go and grab that digital lens upgrade you deserve, going to our OJO Eyewear stores will do just the trick. Head on to our stores and ask them about digital lenses today. Go here to find a branch near you.