Optical Innovations for Preventing Digital Eyestrain – Blue Light Filters
If you haven't noticed, the market for blue light filtering software has expanded as of late
Computers have feelings too. Well, maybe not, but you still should be nice to them because they DO have the ability to block harmful blue light (if you download the right software).
If you haven’t been paying attention, the market for blue light filtering software has expanded as of late. The biggest issue is distinguishing one program from the other. Your best bet is to separate each program by platform, then see which one is easiest to implement on your individual device. Some of the more notable blue light filters include:
F.lux
In my opinion, F.lux is still the easiest blue light filter to implement because it’s been around for a long time. It’s an easy download for macOS, but harder (not impossible) to get onto your Android, iPhone/iPad or Windows.
Night Shift
Basically the reason F.lux can’t get into the Apple Store. Requires macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later, but a simple install on your iPhone/iPad.
Night light
The Windows 10 version of Night Shift, which can be activated in the Action Center. Once there, click All Settings –> System –> Display and toggle the Night light button.
Twilight
Android users don’t have a default blue light filter (as of yet). That said, Twilight is a simple download at the Google Play store. It has several filtering options and it’s easy to use.
G.lux
Not sure how Google got away with clearly imitating F.lux, but Google gets away with everything these days (I didn’t say that). G.lux is an easy to add Chrome extension. Once it reaches your menu bar, you can experiment as you wish (the black option seems rather unique).
Iris
What you end up paying for with Iris ($5 for Iris Mini Pro – $10 for Iris Pro) could be well worth it as far as convenience is concerned. This particular application comes with a wide variety of features and it’s available across all major platforms (mac, Window, Linux, iOS, Android).
