Discover why yellow lens glasses are a popular choice among athletes in sports for enhancing contrast, reducing glare, and improving visual performance. Let’s find out whether such an accessory is really good for your health.
The trend for glasses with yellow lenses is gaining momentum among athletes. There is an opinion that this is not just a fashionable attribute – such an accessory blocks harmful blue light from mobile device screens, helps the body relax, prepare for sleep, more easily endure jet lag, and also improves mood. Is this really so, we find out with an expert.
It is believed that glasses with yellow lenses block the blue spectrum of light – both from the sun and screens. This supposedly helps reduce the strain on the eyes and reduce fatigue.
There is also an opinion that such an accessory helps with prolonged work at the computer, reducing the brightness of the screen and facilitating visual perception. However, it is important to note that scientific data on this issue is contradictory.
An excess of blue light can overstimulate the brain somewhat, and this can worsen the process of falling asleep.
The blue spectrum of daylight is partly absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, but when the sun is high or at its zenith, the absorption decreases. Therefore, blue light predominates during periods of maximum sun exposure, that is, during the day, when the problem of falling asleep is not relevant.
Blue light is also present in the glow of various gadget screens. Therefore, for better sleep, it is not recommended to use gadgets before bed.
As for the jet lag problem: it is not caused by blue or any other light, but by the disruption of the body’s “internal clock” when changing time zones. Therefore, using yellow glasses will not improve it in any way.
There is also an opinion that yellow glasses improve mood and help cope with depression. This is not true, since mood disorders, including depression, are complex diseases that are based on a violation of the production of certain substances in the brain, primarily serotonin and norepinephrine.
The course of such diseases depends on many factors, and yellow glasses do not improve the condition of such a patient.
However, there is no scientific evidence to support the health benefits of yellow glasses specifically.
How do yellow glasses work?
Like any other sunglasses, they block the invisible ultraviolet part of the spectrum, which is harmful to both healthy eyes and those with diseases of the lens or retina.
Also, glasses with yellow lenses cut off (some almost completely) the blue part of the spectrum visible to the eye. Therefore, on a clear day, when the sun is high and blue color predominates, they can somewhat improve contrast if you look towards the light.
For this reason, yellow glasses have become popular among tennis players, golfers – that is, those athletes who have to look towards the sun, for example, while watching the ball during a game.
This may be important if the competition takes place in the middle of the day close to the equator, when blue spectrum activity is at its highest and contrast against this bright background is reduced.
The further north the latitude, the less this effect will be, and in cloudy weather, cutting off the blue spectrum is not necessary at all.
It is also important to remember that you should not look at the sun for a long time, even with yellow glasses, as you can get a very real burn.
In twilight or darkness, a reduction in any part of the color spectrum, including blue, can only worsen visibility, so drivers should not use yellow glasses in the dark.
What are the benefits and harms of yellow glasses?
The benefit of UV protection is undeniable, but this is a property of glasses of any color. Cutting off the blue part of the spectrum is important for improving contrast only in very bright sun in areas that are closer to the equator.
The benefits of yellow glasses for improving emotional background, normalizing sleep and overcoming jet lag are a myth.
Yellow glasses are now being actively advertised, they are very popular among athletes, and this influences our choice. However, there is no scientific data, no convincing research on this matter, or not yet.
Perhaps, if a person loves yellow or sincerely believes that these glasses will help solve such problems, then why not use this gadget? It will definitely not cause any harm.