Over the past few months, I’ve spent some time writing with you about the best ways to regain balance in our always-on, twenty-four-hour, rat race, kind of lives.

Together, we’ve found some totally doable silver linings: We got our zen on in New York’s BeTime Mediation studio. We compared bedtime relaxation apps like Calm and Headspace. But what we haven’t yet acknowledged is the horror we impose on our eyes… Every. Single. Day… or how to remedy that. Call me dramatic if you must, but from first-hand experience, I think overexposure to digital screens has got to be one of the worst things for us if we are looking for a balanced lifestyle.

According to Harvard Medical School, Computer Vision Syndrome comes from staring at a screen for long periods of time. When pixely images and small fonts show up in in high-energy Blue Light, we are straining our ciliary muscle, and our eyes are working way too hard to focus.

Bouncing from our iPhone to our computer screens all day, we are just asking for eye pain, gnarly headaches, and difficulty falling asleep. Know the feeling?

If so, you need Blue IQ glasses. Blue IQ is an eyeglasses film that filters out Blue Light, or “bad light,” from screens. Sixty percent of Americans deal with some kind of computer vision syndrome.

There is a very easy, new, and affordable fix for it. And it’s called Felix Gray. But first, here is a 100% true cautionary tale of what not to do when seeking out Blue IQ lenses:

• Do not go to Lens Crafters and pay the co-pay for an eye exam…
• Return to Lens Crafters a second time, only to be told that you “could benefit from Blue IQ lenses,” which you already knew, because that was the first thing out of your mouth in the first visit…
• Finally, return a third time a week later, to try on your new glasses with the Blue IQ lens that you told them you needed all along.

Grand total hovering around $300, and probably 5 hours of my time. Big, fat, NOPE. Cringe-worthy, am I right? Unfortunately, I know the specifics all too well from first-hand experience.

Hindsight is 20/20… Here is what to do if you are feeling the pain from too much screen time. Go straight to this new brand Felix Gray. Felix Gray sells the same thing for $95 – and with no in-person commitment. They gave me a better product, cheaper and faster. (I could get three for the price of one.) Better yet, I got the glasses overnighted to my door. Convenience factor, check plus. From a style perspective, the lens won’t be so obviously tinted blue, like my first pair was. And every pair comes in different colors.

Another nod in favor of my new favorite glasses brand: A recent study found that when participants wore Felix Gray lenses, they had an increase in melatonin levels, less awakening during sleep, and evidence of improved cognition compared to when they wore clear lenses.

I only have one minor disclaimer: You won’t be getting a perfectly customized fit, which you otherwise would at a mom and pop shop, or even Lenscrafters. What Felix Gray does instead is give customers an online Fit Guide, which worked well for me. Heart shaped faces fit better in certain pairs. Oval faces look and fit better in other pairs. They spell it out for you.

Can these glasses really help you get a better night’s sleep?

Take one look at the website and you won’t need convincing about how cute the frames are. But most importantly, they seriously work. No more headaches. No more eye pain. Super comfortable. Only compliments on my cute new frames… and they go everywhere with me.

Honestly, Blue IQ lenses should be on everyone’s radar, just from the standpoint of protecting our eyes long-term. But save yourself the trouble I went through the first time around, and go straight to the best option: Felix Gray.

Image credit: Felix Gray