Blue light glasses don’t work to prevent screen time eye strain. But ePaper screens do.

In the scramble to find ways to reduce eye strain from the Blue Light Hazard, many people search for blue light glasses. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of evidence—from the experts at the Mayo Clinic to Scientific American—that blue light glasses are not effective in preventing Computer Vision Syndrome from all that screen time.

Fortunately there is an alternative that actually works. Instead of trying to block blue light from hitting our eyes, we can greatly reduce or eliminate the amount of blue light emitted by a screen in the first place. E Ink ePaper screens, which are now built into devices ranging from computer monitors to eReaders, are non-emissive, meaning they don’t shine with nasty blue light that can fry our eyes like bacon and eggs.

There are plusses and minuses for ePaper screens that you’ll need to take into account. The plusses include having healthier screen time, screens that are easy to read outside in bright sun without glare, and the ability to make handwritten notes on eNote devices. On the minus side of the equation, ePaper screens have a slower screen refresh time than LCD screens, which makes them not ideal for web browsing, watching video, or checking social media. Those minuses, however, can be a big plus for a lot of people who are trying to focus on their work.

So, the upshot is that you may want to keep your current computer but add a separate ePaper monitor. Use your regular screen for video conferencing and web browsing, and use your ePaper screen for writing, reading, email, and reviewing documents. Here’s where you can research (and shop for) different kinds of devices made with E Ink ePaper screens.