Green Glasses Spectral Analysis Dashboard

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Green light might help lower the frequency and severity of migraines, according to research from the last few years that I covered in a recent video series. It works both because the green cones in our eyes send the lowest amplitude signal to our brain (important when said brain is oversensitized), and because the green light itself seems to trigger the production of our body's natural opioids, which can help to reduce pain.

The problem is, in order to get the greatest benefit from the green light, the evidence indicates that you need to sit in a room lit only with dim green light for a period of one to two hours per day. Most of us don't have time for this, which led to many of you asking the question "What if we just wear green-tinted glasses?"

From a pure physics perspective it shouldn't matter if green light starts off green or becomes green by passing through a filter. But, practically, not all filters filter out all of the blue and red light that gets picked up by our blue and red cones in the eye. So, I set out to test this by ordering the top six green glasses off of Amazon as well as getting two sets of tinted contact lenses. I then tested them by setting up a full spectrum white LED and using a high-end spectrometer to measure the initial wavelengths of light produced by the white light and the wavelengths that get through each lens. And because I'm a big nerd, I couldn't just tell you the results in a brief summary. Instead I had to build a fully interactive dashboard for you to browse through the testing results yourself.🤓 I will hopefully be adding to this page as I test more devices. If you want to be notified of updates as well as occasional giveaways and to get some other fun science, sign up here for my free newsletter.

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Test Overview

I started off with the Govee Floor Lamp 2, because it has some of the best white LEDs that I've tested while still maintaining the peak in the blue region that is characteristic of standard white LEDs ( I could have used one of the super high-end ones that evens out this peak but that's actually less realistic for most of your at-home lighting set ups.)

I then used the In.Licht Ultra spectrometer to measure the wavelengths of light from the white light and then for what passed through each lens. Rather than block off the peripheral sides of the glasses to test just the filter itself, I intentionally left the same sort of gaps that you would get from wearing the glasses so that it would be a more realistic picture of the lighting your eyes would experience

Testing Setup

Glasses Tested

ID	Product Name	Price	Link
LMUD	LIGHTMEUP Red Light Therapy Glasses	$6.99	Amazon
LMU2	LIGHTMEUP Red Light Therapy Glasses Deep Green	$6.99	Amazon
YL	OLINOWL Oversized Square Rimless Sunglasses Tinted	$7.69	Amazon
CT	PURPLE CANYON Green Color Therapy Mood & Migraine Glasses	$13.99	Amazon
CTFX	GloFX Green Color Therapy Mood Glasses Migraine Glasses	$15.99	Amazon
VVS	VIVOSUN Indoor Hydroponics LED Grow Room Glasses with Glasses Case	$15.18	Amazon
Altius Red	ALTIUS® Amber Performance Soft Contact Lens	—	Altius Vision
Altius Green	ALTIUS® Grey-Green Performance Soft Contact Lens	—	Altius Vision

All 6 pairs of glasses tested, shown with their dashboard IDs

About This Test: All glasses were purchased retail and tested without modification. Prices shown are approximate at time of testing. The Altius contact lenses were tested in a different configuration and normalized to match the baseline measurements. Altius contacts were sent to me for testing purposes, so I actually don't know how much they cost.

Disclosure: Amazon links above are affiliate links. Purchases may earn me ~$0.20. If 50 people fall for it, I can buy a snowcone!

Wavelength Visualizer

Explore what different wavelengths of visible light look like. The human eye can perceive light from approximately 380nm (violet) to 780nm (deep red).

Wavelength (nm):

380nm Violet Blue Cyan Green Yellow Orange Red 780nm

525 nm

RGB: (0, 255, 73)

Green light region

Therapeutic Range: Research suggests that narrow-band green light around 515-550nm may help reduce migraine pain intensity. Use the slider to explore this range and compare it to the transmission curves of the glasses tested above.

Color approximations based on the work of Dr. Dan Bruton.

Spectral Transmission Curves

What This Graph Shows: Each colored line represents a different pair of glasses or lens. The Y-axis shows what percentage of light at each wavelength (color) makes it through the lens. Higher = more light gets through.

Understanding the Wavelengths:

380-450nm (Violet/Blue) — These wavelengths are often linked to migraine triggering. Good glasses for migraine relief should block most of this range.
500-570nm (Green) — Research suggests narrow-band green light around 525nm may actually reduce migraine intensity. Ideal glasses let this range through.
600-700nm (Orange/Red) — Some red light passes through certain lenses. This is generally neutral for migraines but affects how colors appear.

Practical Takeaway: Look for glasses that have a low line (blocking light) in the blue region (left side of graph) but a higher line in the green region (middle). This is the "sweet spot" for green light therapy — blocking potentially painful blue light while allowing therapeutic green light through.

Pure Green Light Reference: The "Pure Green Light" dataset (highlighted in bright green) shows the same lamp set to pure green mode. Compare this to the glasses — you can see whether wearing green glasses in white light replicates the spectral profile of simply being in pure green light.

Transmitted SPD (Normalized)

What This Graph Shows: "SPD" stands for Spectral Power Distribution — essentially, how much light energy exists at each color/wavelength. The white dashed "Baseline" line shows the original LED light. Each colored line shows what light actually reaches your eyes after passing through each lens.

Why It Matters: For green light therapy to work for migraines, you want lenses that:

Significantly reduce the blue peak (around 450nm) compared to baseline
Preserve as much of the green light (515-550nm) as possible
The closer a colored line follows the baseline in the green zone while being lower in the blue zone, the better

Practical Takeaway: Compare how much each lens "flattens" the blue peak on the left while preserving the green region. Glasses that reduce blue more aggressively may look darker but could be more effective at preventing light-triggered migraines.

Action Spectra Reference

What This Graph Shows: These curves represent how sensitive different photoreceptors in your eyes are to each wavelength of light. Think of it as a "volume knob" — where a curve peaks is where that receptor is most strongly activated.

Meet Your Photoreceptors:

S-Cone (Blue) — Detects short wavelengths (blues/violets). Peaks around 445nm.
M-Cone (Green) — Detects medium wavelengths (greens). Peaks around 540nm.
L-Cone (Red) — Detects longer wavelengths (reds/oranges). Peaks around 570nm.
Melanopic (Purple) — These are special cells called ipRGCs (intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells). They're NOT for seeing colors, but they regulate your circadian rhythm and are involved in light-triggered migraines. They peak around 480nm (blue-cyan).
Rhodopic (Cyan) — Related to rod cells used for night/low-light vision. Peaks around 500nm.

Practical Takeaway: For migraine management, focus on the Melanopic curve — research suggests these cells may be the main culprit in light sensitivity during migraines. Glasses that block wavelengths where this curve peaks (around 480nm) may provide the most relief, while still allowing the therapeutic ~525nm green light to pass.

Cone Activation (% of Baseline)

What This Graph Shows: This bar chart shows how much each type of cone cell is activated when wearing each lens, compared to no lens (baseline = 100%). Lower percentages mean less stimulation of that receptor.

What the Cones Do:

L-Cone (Red bars) — Primary for red color vision. Most glasses preserve these well.
M-Cone (Green bars) — Primary for green color vision. For green light therapy, you want these to remain reasonably active.
S-Cone (Blue bars) — Primary for blue color vision. These are also stimulated by wavelengths that may trigger migraines, so lower activation is often better for photophobia relief.

Practical Takeaway: For migraine management, look for glasses with low S-Cone (blue) activation while maintaining reasonable M-Cone (green) activation. Very low S-Cone numbers (under 10%) suggest strong blue-blocking. If M-Cone is also very low, colors will appear quite distorted and visibility may be reduced.

Melanopic & Rhodopic Response

What This Graph Shows: This may be the most important chart for migraine sufferers. It shows how much the melanopic cells (ipRGCs) and rod cells are stimulated compared to no glasses (baseline = 100%).

Why Melanopic Matters for Migraines:

Melanopsin-containing cells (ipRGCs) connect directly to pain pathways in the brain. Research by Dr. Rami Burstein at Harvard found these cells are the likely reason light hurts during migraines.
These cells are most sensitive to blue-cyan light (~480nm), which is why blue light blocking may help.
Interestingly, narrow-band green light (~520-530nm) may activate a different neural pathway that actually reduces migraine pain. Clinical trials showed a 60% reduction in monthly headache days.

Rhodopic Response: This relates to your rod cells (for low-light vision) and is less relevant to migraine management, but extremely low values may make it hard to see in dim environments.

Practical Takeaway: Lower melanopic % = potentially better migraine protection. The lenses with the lowest melanopic values (LMUD, LMU2) are blocking the wavelengths most linked to light sensitivity. However, too low may make everything too dark. Look for a balance — low melanopic activation while still being able to see clearly.

Comprehensive Comparison Table

Glasses	Norm. Lux	Melanopic %	L-Cone %	M-Cone %	S-Cone %	S-Cone Block	M-Cone Pass	Red Pass	Score

Understanding the Table Columns:

Norm. Lux — Brightness after filtering. Higher = brighter image through the lens.
Melanopic % — Activation of migraine-linked cells. Lower is better for light sensitivity.
L/M/S-Cone % — How much each color receptor is stimulated. Lower S-Cone = better blue blocking.
S-Cone Block — How much S-cone (blue) activation is suppressed (100% - S-Cone%). Higher is better for migraine prevention.
M-Cone Pass — How much M-cone (green) activation is preserved. Higher preserves therapeutic green light.
Red Pass — Percentage of red light allowed through. Higher values mean warmer color tint.
Score — Overall ranking based on cone activation (weighted toward migraine relief).

How the Score Works: The score combines three factors:

40% weight — Melanopic suppression (how much those pain-pathway cells are blocked)
35% weight — S-Cone suppression (how much blue-sensitive cones are blocked)
25% weight — M-Cone preservation (how much green-sensitive cones remain active for therapeutic benefit)

Practical Takeaway: Higher scores indicate lenses that are theoretically better suited for green light therapy and migraine management. However, personal preference matters — some people prefer lighter tints for everyday wear even if the "score" is lower. Consider trying top-ranked options for severe migraines and mid-ranked options for daily prevention.

Key Findings

What These Findings Mean:

LMU2 (Green Light Therapy) — These deep green lenses block both blue AND red light, letting through only the narrow-band green that research suggests may reduce migraine pain. Best for dedicated therapy sessions, emulating the effect of a dim room lit with only green light.
Altius Red (Everyday Use) — Contact lenses that block almost all blue light while preserving natural color vision. You'll still see greens and reds normally, making these ideal for daily wear and screen work (especially in the evenings).
VVS (Budget Runner-Up) — An affordable alternative with solid blue blocking and reasonable color preservation. Great option if you want to try green-tinted glasses without a big investment.

Note: Both the VVS and LMU2 glasses feature side panels to ensure most of your peripheral vision is also filtered green, making them more effective than flat-lens styles.

The Science Behind Green Light Therapy:
Harvard Medical School research found that while blue, red, and amber light intensify migraine headaches, narrow-band green light (~520-530nm) was the only color that didn't worsen pain. In clinical trials, patients saw up to a 60% reduction in monthly headache days. The theory is that green light generates smaller electrical signals in the brain's pain center (the thalamus) compared to other colors, as well as triggering the production of endogenous opioids, which are natural painkillers.

Choosing Your Glasses:

For active migraine attacks: Choose the lens with lowest melanopic response, even if visibility is reduced. In fact, lowering total light intensity can be actively helpful. Even green light should be dim.
For daily prevention/screens: Choose a mid-range option that blocks enough blue but maintains comfortable vision and color production.
For testing green light therapy: Look for the "Best M-Cone Pass" option combined with good S-cone blocking.

Stay Connected & Get Involved

Got a product you want me to test? Have questions about green light therapy or anything else science-related? I'd love to hear from you! Drop me a line at avisha@distilledscience.com

FREE GIVEAWAY

I've got leftover green lights & glasses from my testing that need a new home! Newsletter subscribers only will be entered to win. 🎁