So then what?

If you’re looking for blue light glasses to fix your headaches, you’re probably just wasting your money. Luckily, there are some things you can do to help relieve the computer vision syndrome that’ll cost you $0. Ophthalmologists recommend the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds. Make sure you’re at least an arm’s length away from your computer and use eye drops if your eyes are getting too dry from staring at the computer screen.

At night, if you want blue light glasses, go ahead, but maybe splurge a little and go for ones that are proven to block blue light, not just the $5 pair from Amazon. There are different levels of blue light blocking, so those cheap ones that don’t block much light are pretty much a waste of money. Or, alternatively, just turn off your screens an hour before bed. If that’s too much of a struggle, your computer and phone likely have a night mode that decreases the amount of blue light emitted; you can even schedule this to kick in at a certain time each night.

Taking the time to do these things will make your eyes thank you—and maybe make online school a little more bearable.  

Sources: Harvard Health, Cleveland Clinic