Today I’m going to be reviewing the Ra Optics Ultimate Night blue light blocking glasses to see where they stand.
Product website (click for a 10% discount): www.raoptics.com
Blue light blocking glasses, also simply known as ‘blue blockers’ have become incredibly popular in recent months as more and more people look to reduce the effects of being exposed to too much artificial light after dark.
Ra Optics were one of the first brands to market when it came to making stylish blue blockers that have been specifically designed to block out the most common frequencies of blue light.
Our friends over at Ra Optics were kind enough to gift us some of their Ultimate Night glasses to try out for ourselves.
The purpose of this review is for us to take a detailed look at the Ra Optics Ultimate Night glasses from all angles to see where they stand.
We’re going to be paying particularly close attention to the quality of the lenses, the look and feel of the frames, and the effect they had when we tried them out.
We’re then going to see whether they make it onto our list of the best blue light blocking glasses on the market right now.
Editor's note: The content on this website is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. Our articles and the products featured in them are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. Always speak with a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, and/or taking any supplements.
So, with the introductions out of the way, let’s start taking a closer look at Ra Optics’ flagship Ultimate Night glasses.
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Ra Optics Ultimate Night Glasses – The Basics
Ra Optics was founded by Matt Maruca a few years ago. Matt is very knowledgeable when it comes to sunlight and health, and he has been interviewed on lots of podcasts, including here at HumanWindow.
Matt set up Ra Optics after he realised that there were not many options when it came to stylish blue blockers that actually used the correct lenses to be effective.
Ra Optics Ultimate Night (Photo: HumanWindow)
If you’ve already done some research into blue blockers for yourself, you’ll know that there are not many options out there that provide the right lenses with a frame that you would be willing to wear out and about.
So, why would you want to own a pair of blue blockers? It all comes down to light at night – and the fact that we’re probably seeing too much of it.
When you think about it, for most of human history our only source of light after dark would have been from fire and moonlight.
In case you didn’t know, blue light – which is prevalent in daylight – has a stimulating effect on the brain (basically, it wakes us up).
This is important during the day – we want to be feeling alert and awake as we get on with stuff.
However, since the invention of the electric lightbulb in recent history, we have started prolonging our evenings well into the night.
Worse still, in recent years we have started to replace the yellower types of incandescent lightbulbs with their ‘energy saving’ alternatives such as LED and fluorescent lighting.
While these bulbs may consume less electricity, they often too contain much more blue light. As we mentioned above, being exposed to too much blue light at night is probably not a great idea, at least from an evolutionary standpoint.
Ra Optics Ultimate Night (Photo: HumanWindow)
Blue blockers aim to solve this problem by offering a simple solution for you to be able to block out some of the main frequencies of blue light after dark, while still allowing you to get on with your stuff if needed.
Ra Optics have established themselves as one of the major players in the market for stylish blue blockers thanks to their premium lenses and quality frames.
So, now that we’ve taken a look at the basics about Ra Optics and blue blockers in general, it’s time to start examining the Ultimate Night glasses in a bit more detail.
The Look
We tried out the Popp and the Ott Ultimate Night glasses from the official website.
Ra Optics offer fast worldwide shipping, and our glasses arrived at our door about a week after having placed out order. As they ship from the United States, you can probably expect to get them faster than that if you live in the US.
The frames are made of transparent plastic and have a quality feel to them. I went for Popp as it’s one of the smaller frames offered by Ra Optics, and from my experience with sunglasses, smaller frames suit me best.
At the time of writing, Ra Optics currently offer eight different unisex frames styles, so you’ll be sure to be able to find one that suits you best.
Ra Optics Ultimate Night (Photo: HumanWindow)
On the website, they have the same models (one male, one female) wearing all of the different frames, so you should be able to get a good idea of which ones are likely to suit you.
The lenses are dark orange, and when you put them on for the first time, you’ll notice that blue colors turn more of a ‘black’ and that everything has a ‘sunset’ or ‘fire’ glow.
Simply put, the Popp frames look like stylish sunglasses (albeit with a slightly strange lens). I felt comfortable wearing them out and about at night, and even got a few compliments about them.
To summarize, they just look cool, and if you’re serious about wearing blue blockers after dark consistently, you’ll want to have a pair that you’re going to be willing to wear out in public.
The Build
Every pair of Ra Optics glasses come with a cool black case with a magnetic strip to keep it closed, as well as a cleaning cloth.
The case has a cool quote embodied into the interior of the case: “In order to elevate humanity, we must each elevate ourselves”, which is the mantra of Ra Optics as a company.
The protective case is slim enough to fit in a bag and possibly even a back pocket if necessary.
The Popp frames are lightweight but have a quality feel to them. The lenses are well-fitted, and the hinges spring open when you are unfolding them.
Because the plastic is transparent, you can see that the frames are reinforced with metal right through to the end, which is pretty cool.
After a few days of use, we were pretty happy with the feel of them. They simply feel like a high-end pair of designer sunglasses.
Ra Optics Ultimate Night (Photo: HumanWindow)
The Effect
If you’ve never used a pair of nighttime blue blockers before, then you’re in for a treat with the Ultimate Night lenses.
As we mentioned above, they give the world a ‘sunset hue’. Blue light is filtered to look more black, and other lights look a deep shade of orange or red.
The Ra Optics Ultimate Night lenses block all blue and the majority of green light frequencies, up to 550 nanometers.
We started off by wearing the Ra Optics Ultimate Night lenses around three hours before bed.
After about an hour of wearing them, we noticed a calming and relaxing effect. Within in a couple of hours, we were ready for bed.
They really are a great tool to help you wind down and relax at night, while still allowing you to be able to get on with your business if required.
We found them particularly useful when travelling on the London Underground, which uses some really bright blue fluorescent lighting on many of its trains.
The Ra Optics glasses made the journey home after a meal out much more relaxing for us.
The one thing we should mention is that we do not recommend wearing the Ultimate Night lenses while driving or operating machinery.
That’s because they do make everything a bit darker, and you may struggle to see things such as green traffic lights or blue police lights!
Ra Optics Ultimate Night Reviews
We took a look online to see what customers were saying about the Ra Optics Ultimate Night lenses.
As they are not available on Amazon, there were not a huge amount of reviews from verified customers.
However, we did come across some pretty cool testimonials from the likes of Luke Storey and Ben Greenfield on the official site.
The Ra Optics website says that they have already served more than 10,000 customers.
All Ra Optics glasses come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, meaning that you can return your glasses for a refund or exchange if you’re not happy with them within the first month.
Any Negatives?
There’s no getting away from the fact that the Ra Optics range comes with a premium price tag. That means that they may not fit into everyone’s budget.
That being said, the guys over at Ra Optics have kindly agreed to give our readers a 10% discount. To get the discount, simply follow this (affiliate) link to the Ra Optics website and make sure you use the code HUMANWINDOW during the checkout process.
The other downside is that you can only buy them directly from the official Ra Optics website right now.
That means that you won’t find them on Amazon, eBay or in stores at the moment. However, at least that means that you can be 100 per cent sure that you’re getting a genuine and authentic product.
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Are These The Best Nighttime Blue Light Blocking Glasses?
We rate Ra Optics’ Ultimate Night lenses as one of the very best products on the market right now when it comes to blue blockers for use at night.
We love their lenses and quality frames, and it’s great to see so many people reaping the benefits of using them regularly at nighttime via posts on social media.
Anything Else To Consider?
Blue blockers are a great tool that can help reduce your exposure to blue light after dark.
However, maintaining good health requires a multi-action approach, of which using a product like this is just one.
If you’re looking to improve your sleep, then it’s important that you work on your health overall, and that means sticking to a good diet and exercising regularly.
Review Conclusion – Final Thoughts
That brings us to the end our review of the Ra Optics Ultimate Night glasses.
Overall, we were very impressed by the overall quality of the lenses and frames. They also had a dramatic effect on us when worn around three hours before bedtime.
The one main downside is that they are more expensive than some other options, but you can get 10% off with code HUMANWINDOW on the official website.
For more information and to get a 10% discount, visit: www.raoptics.com
