How To Test Blue Light Glasses

✓ Medically Reviewed by Jack Cincotta

BON CHARGE customers often ask us - how to tell if their blue light glasses work?

Hopefully you haven’t wasted your money, but chances are, if you are wanting to test your blue light glasses then you have some concerns about whether they work or not. If you want to know what blue light glasses are before testing blue light glasses then read here first.

In this post we will show you different ways to test:

  • Your clear lens computer daytime blue light glasses.
  • Your amber or red lens evening blue light lenses.
  • What blue light test you must avoid!

 

Why Test Your Blue Light Glasses?

You would have seen in our BON CHARGE glasses vs other brand test results blog that not all blue light glasses are created equal. Unfortunately, many brand’s glasses are not actually doing what they should be doing.

Without an expensive spectral analyser, which costs upward of $10,000, it's hard to accurately test blue light glasses.

However, there are some ways to test your blue light blocking glasses at home to see if they are filtering across the blue light spectrum.

This way you can tell is you have the best blue light blocking glasses or the best computer glasses available reasonably well.

Let’s take a look at the at home testing methods you can use to test your blue light filtering glasses.

How to Test Your Blue Light Computer Glasses (Clear Lenses)

Computer Glasses

1. Ask for Blue Light Glasses Brand Spectrum Report

To find out if your blue light glasses are the best computer glasses available you first need to contact the company you bought them from and ask for a spectrum report. This spectrum report will show you the amount of blue light they are blocking. Many pairs of blue light glasses do not block enough blue light.

Computer glasses are characterised by a clear lens and are to be worn during the daytime only, after sunset they are useless but during the day they serve a great purpose; filtering down excessive blue light.

When the company sends you their spectrum report you want to make sure your computer glasses filter down at least 30% of blue light across the entire blue range. LED lights of different sources have different levels of blue light so it’s safe to focus on a pair of computer glasses that filters down the whole spectrum by at least 30%.

Do not take the company's word of it, ask for the spectrum report and you will easily be able to see how much, if any, blue light is being filtered.

Also, avoid companies who focus their blue light glasses filtering on violet light, there isn’t much of this present in LED's, so do not waste your money!

2. Use The Lens Reflection Test

A good test at home is to pop your computer glasses on and see what colour the light is that is reflecting off the lenses.

If it's blue light that’s reflecting off them then you know they are filtering some blue light.

If the reflection is violet or purple you know that blue light probably isn’t being filtered effectively.

This is a good basic at home method to test blue light glasses. This way you will know if blue light is being filtered and whether you have the best computer glasses.

3. Avoid The Blue Pen Test

The blue light pen test is one testing method that will not accurately test your blue light glasses properly and is is a trick.

This pen only emits violet light, but your computer glasses need to filter blue light.

So ignore this marketing gimmick and run for the hills if the blue light glasses company tries to dazzle you with a violet light emitting pen on their computer glasses.

See below the joke that is the blue pen test.

It's very clearly emitting purple light, not blue light. Do not use this test, it tells you nothing and serves your health no purpose.

Example of the blue pen test on a pair of lenses

How to Test Blue Light Glasses (Amber/Red Lenses)

There are two at home to tests you can do on your blue light glasses.

Blue light blocking glasses

1. The Black and Blue Squares Test

The squares below are black and blue without your blue light glasses on.

  1. Pop on your blue light blocking glasses (the ones you wear after sunset) and both squares should appear black.
  2. If they do not appear black then your blue light glasses are not blocking all blue light.

Black and blue squares

2. RGB Color Chart Test

Another solid way to test your blue light glasses is to use the RGB circle test chart below (Red, Green and Blue test)

  1. Put on your blue light glasses and look at the chart.
  2. If you glasses are filtering blue light then the B section should appear black and the G section should darken considerable. This shows that your blue light glasses are filtering some green light, as well, which is super important for use after sunset.
  3. The less bright the green circle with your blue light glasses on the better. 

RGB colour chart

These two home tests are great, but don’t give you 100% accurate answers. Use them as a good initial test.

3. Gold Standard Spectral Analysis Test

The most optimal way to test your blue light glasses is by using a light spectrometer. Lab grade spectrometers are however very costly.

That’s how you test blue light glasses effectively.

The only way to know if you have the best blue light glasses for evening use, ones that have orange or red lenses, is to ask the company for a spectral report.

If your red lens glasses are not blocking 100% of light between 400-550nm then return them, or do not buy them. It is essential to block 100% in this range or you won’t have the best blue light glasses.

The spectral analysis test results example image below is on a pair of BON CHARGE (Red Lens Evening_Blue Light Blocking glasses using a spectrometer.

 

If your glasses fail these spectral analysis tests then we recommend you buy a pair of amazing BON CHARGE glasses that actually pass the test and work as expected.

How to Get The Best Computer Glasses

If you want access to the best computer glasses, the ones with the clear lenses you need to purchase Computer Glasses from BON CHARGE.

best computer glasses

How to Get The Best Blue Light Glasses for Sleep

If you want access to the best blue light glasses that actually block 100% of light between 400 - 550nm then you need Red Lens Blue Light Blocking Glasses from BON CHARGE. These blue light blocking will reduce your exposure to blue light at night time from LED screens and not disrupt your circadian rhythm.

As a thank-you for reading this post - use the code test15 for 15% off your order.

the best blue light blocking glasses

Conclusion

So, there you have it, how to test blue light glasses.

Feel free to comment below the results from your own tests on your blue light glasses and do not forget to pick up a proper pair that actually works from BON CHARGE!

Getting used to wearing blue light glasses may also be an issue, so check out this article.

Find out more in Part 2 of the "How to Test Blue Light Glasses"

Do Blue Light Glasses Really Work?

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