I use computer glasses to protect my eyes from blue light - and my go-to pair is only $10

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• The devices we use for prolonged periods during the day (like computers and cell phones) emit blue light, which is one reason why your eyes feel tired after staring at a bright screen.
• Blue light can damage your retinas, and computer glasses are one way of screening out that blue light and saving your eyes the strain.
• Some computer glasses go for nearly $100, but this functional under-$10 pair has served me well for almost a year now.

There are days in which I find myself squinting at my computer screen. Not because the type magically got smaller or my eyesight poorer, but because the bright light can suddenly feel glaring. For the first time ever as a non-glasses wearer, my eyes feel tired and strained.

And it's no wonder. Between work, email, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever other computerized activities we take part in during the day, a lot of us spend a significant portion of the day with our faces inches away from a glowing screen. And those screens are emitting something called blue light, which is harmful to our retinas when exposed over long periods of time. Blue light is right next to UV on the light spectrum, and it works in a similar way. It can also lead to poor sleep by messing with the circadian rhythm of your sleep cycle.

When I was working in an office during the day and going to night classes immediately after, I was spending almost the entire day lodged in front of a laptop. This - understandably - started to give me headaches.

I knew we had covered Felix Gray - the top-dog of computer glasses - here at Insider Picks, but I didn't want to spend $95 on a college budget if I could help it.

After doing a little digging, I found this$10 pair from Eyekepper on Amazon. They had 4 stars, over 2,000 reviews, and - perhaps most appealing - they were $10. The price made me skeptical about if they'd really work, but it wasn't a huge investment in the meanwhile.

The Eyekepper glasses have five layers of protection, are anti-reflective, anti-glare, and even have UV protection. Their classic shape is pretty universally flattering, and the tortoiseshell design I got is true to the image online. I don't have to wear prescription eyeglasses so I'm not used to having something always on my face, but the plastic makes them light enough to go unnoticed most of the time.

I can now say after almost a year of using them that they're a good contestant for the best workplace purchase I've ever made. Whenever I notice myself squinting at my computer I throw them on and the relief is pretty instantaneous. I can't think of many things I've spent so little on that have had such a disproportionately great effect on the day-to-day.

I haven't gotten a chance to try the Felix Gray version myself, and you might be interested in their upscale iteration of the computer glasses if you have some extra money to spend, but all in all, the Eyekeppers do what they promise to do for a fraction of the price you find at competitors. They don't have many bells and whistles, but they'll save you money and perform the same basic function you're buying them to fulfill.

If you're looking for a way to cut down on the eye strain that comes from a long day in front of glowing screens or just want to lessen the chances you'll have long-term reparations for it later, I highly recommend picking up a pair.

Eyekepper Vintage Computer Glasses, available on Amazon, $10