Fashion

These Cute New Glasses For People Who Stare At Screens All Day Actually Cured My Headaches

by Kali Borovic
Courtesy Kali Borovic

Fashion meets tech-based function is happening like never before. There are sunglasses that Snapchat for you and watches that keep track of your every move. But sometimes the most ingenious inventions are the simplest. While these might look like your typical trendy eyewear, Felix Gray's glasses protect from tech-created blue light. They're the only way I could cure my chronic tech headaches, but the benefits are much great than just that.

Since graduating college a couple of years ago, a lot of things have changed in my life and my body. One of the biggest challenges have been my chronic headaches. After visiting a handful of doctors, I realized that my constant screen-related work as a writer, blogger, and tech lover was the problem. Naturally, I went to the eye doctor to fix my eye strain. With glasses in hand, I set out to live a life free of headaches.

Everything was great for about two days. Then, the headaches started settling in again. It turns out I'm not the only one, either. According to experts, 60.5 percent of people report "experiencing symptoms of digital eye strain" of the 83 percent of people who use digital devices more than two hours per day.

Thankfully, the founders of Felix Gray listened to these eye concerns. They created blue light glasses that protect eyes from the light emitted from all screens, whether it's checking your phone throughout the day or working in front of a computer.

"We're disrupting eyewear itself. We're bringing lenses into the digital age. We're creating eyewear for the current world we all live in today, a life where many times we're in front of a screen," co-founder of Felix Gray David Roger tells Bustle.

Courtesy Kali Borovic

When I first slipped on these glasses, I didn't see a difference at all. Honestly, I thought it might have been a gimmick. But as I started wearing them in front of the computer, everything changed. Despite there being no prescription in the lenses, I no longer squinted at the screen I was looking at. Even better than that, my chronic headaches were gone within a week.

"Digital is our way of life. And while it's amazing, there are consequences. We both spent 12 hours a day in front of screens," Roger says, referring to him and his co-founder. "Our eyes bothered us. Our friends, colleagues, and family said the same thing."

The company currently offers six styles of glasses on their website. They cost $95 to $125, and offer blue light protection as well as magnification, if needed. They don't currently offer prescription, but, oddly enough, according to Roger, many of the people who wear the glasses have 20/20 vision. They either don't need glasses or wear them to look at screens while their contacts are in.

Courtesy Kali Borovic

How do you know if you're suffering from blue light eye strain? Odds are that if you look at a screen, you could use a pair of the Felix Gray glasses. According to Roger, blue light causes side-effects other than just headaches

"There are several negative side effects for your eyes that result from exposure to blue light," the co-founder says. "For one, blue light can cause symptoms of Digital Eye Strain (eyestrain, blurry vision, headaches) given the high energy it emits. Blue light also suppresses melatonin, which can affect our sleep quality."

He explains that blue light is right next to UV light on the light spectrum and can have even worse side effects. According to the eyewear expert, there's an even bigger correlation to macular degeneration to blue light than UV.

Courtesy Kali Borovic

Forget everything you think you know about glasses, because this brand is completely changing the game. Not only do Felix Gray glasses look great, but they go from work to play and back to work effortlessly.

Of course, the lack of chronic headaches is also a perk.