Josiah Peña spent many hours staring at a computer screen for online classes during his senior year at San Jose State University, and he was facing even more screen time when he landed a remote internship in 2020.

Got the blues

That’s when he decided to order blue-light-blocking eyeglasses on Amazon. They soothe eye fatigue, some reviews said. They are snake oil, some doctors warned. At least most everyone agrees on one thing: They make you look really hot.

As soon as Mr. Peña, 24, got a wide pair with black frames to complement his self-described “big face,” co-workers and friends started pointing out how great he looked in them and asking, “Where did you get those?”

Mr. Peña thinks the glasses help with screen fatigue, but even if that’s all psychological and not backed by science, the glasses are worth the $25 price.

“I still use them quite often,” says Mr. Peña. “Sometimes I wear them when I go out because I like the look.”

Almost a year and a half after the pandemic shut offices and schools, people are starting to return to normal routines and reducing screen time. Even if they are ready to trade sweatpants for work slacks, many don’t want to let go of their blue-light glasses.

Fans are keeping them on or buying a first pair because they say they look cool or smart wearing them or that the lenses make the world take on the dreamy look of a “Twilight” movie.

Aimee Abel, 28, a brand strategist, bought a two-pack shortly before the pandemic on Amazon. She says she wears them when she wants to shift her mind-set to be more focused during work time or as an accessory whenever she wants to be taken seriously, such as during meetings with clients.

Brand strategist Aimee Abel says the glasses make her look like ‘an expert in her field.’

Photo: Aimee Abel

“It’s 100% psychological,” says Ms. Abel. “I see myself in glasses and I’m like, ‘There’s a professional. She’s an expert in her field. She’s gonna be giving thoughtful responses.’ ”

Some users are confident that “computer glasses” alleviated the tiredness in their eyes after a day of screen-staring, but others who bought into the fad accessory speculated that they likely don’t do what they are advertised to do. The glasses have inspired lasting social-media debates and are promoted by actors Rashida Jones and Jamie Foxx for popular eyewear brands like Zenni Optical and Privé Revaux.

“The pandemic really provided a perfect storm given the pre-promotion of this technology and some understanding of its value by consumers,” says Sean Pate, Zenni brand marketing and communications officer, in an email.

The company had seen an uptick prior to the pandemic with annual sales of its blue-light glasses line, Blokz, reaching 50% growth in 2018. In 2020, it reported 60% sales growth and is seeing similar trends so far this year. One of its top-selling pairs is one with black frames and a gold metal rim around the wide lenses.

Warby Parker, an eyewear retailer that says on its website that its blue-light filtering lenses “may help” with eye fatigue, offers customers blue-light protection as an add-on for $50 to any of its frames that start at $95.

Some price tags for the on-trend glasses are in the three digits. Tom Ford has pairs that come with magnetic clip-on sunglasses which retail for $795.

The advent of lower-cost models in recent years has helped boost the appeal. JT Gonzalez, 19, a teacher’s assistant, has worn blue-light glasses on and off since she started attending an online high school about four years ago. She picked up her latest pair for about $12 at Target and started using them again this year during her new job at a preschool in Phoenix.

She says they helped keep her eyes fresh during Zoom meetings, and she also sometimes keeps them on when not looking at a computer screen because “they’re cute.”

Eyewear brands market them as being able to protect eyes from damage by blue light, a light wave from the sun and digital devices.

Blue-light glasses belonging to JT Gonzalez.

Photo: JT Gonzalez

Sunir Garg, the clinical spokesperson of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, says that humans are more exposed to blue light from the sun than they are from devices, and that there isn’t enough research to prove that blue light causes eye damage.

“Over time, the eye has done a great job evolving to filter out the harmful effects of sunlight, and that includes blue light, so that’s kind of myth No. 1,” says Dr. Garg.

Kala Sanders, a first-grade teacher in Fayetteville, N.C., says her students often complained about how much their eyes hurt from looking at their computer screens. So she, along with several other teachers from across the country, started fundraisers through Donors Choose, a funding website for teachers, to get all of their students blue-light glasses.

She was sold on them after finding online research that said they could help with better sleep. She and some parents also noticed less complaining by the students about eye fatigue while wearing them, says Mrs. Sanders.

Blue-light exposure at night can impede natural melatonin production, making it difficult to fall asleep after spending hours scrolling through Instagram. Dr. Garg says that for some people who struggle with falling asleep at night, they could potentially be helpful, but for the majority of people “it is not worth spending money on.”

Even though they are looking at the world through dream-colored glasses, some users can see where the doctors are coming from.

“I do think it’s a gimmick,” says Ms. Abel, “and I’m OK with that.”

Write to Aydali Campa at aydali.campalopez@wsj.com