Okay, I’ll admit it, I’ve been a sceptic of GUNNAR Optiks for a long time. What did their pricey optics have that I wasn’t getting from a pair of cheap, tinted, low magnification reading glasses from my local pharmacy? I didn’t realize that I was going to get the chance to answer that question, thanks to some help from the GUNNAR booth at PAX East this year.
Even for people who don’t normally wear corrective lenses of some type, computer eye strain can be a significant problem. Staring at bright, close screens under fluorescent lights for hours a day can lead to dry eyes, headaches, and other unpleasant consequences. Throw in late-night gaming sessions, and you can add sleep disruption from high wavelength blue light to the mixture. Those of us who choose contact lenses for our vision correction get all of the previously mentioned negatives, plus a few bonuses of our own. A good pair of computer glasses can reduce many of these issues.
GUNNAR’s new release, the RIOT series, mark the company’s first foray into the lower-priced segment of the eyeware market. At $49.99 they’re still not cheap, but they are now at a price point that makes them somewhat more competitive with what else is out there. The pair I received was an Onyx colored, smoke tinted pair from the RIOT series.
Once I made my way off the show floor and back to my laptop, I was able to do an immediate comparison. The RIOT glasses certainly looked better than my pharmacy cheapos, but there wouldn’t be any obvious difference once I put them on, right? Wrong! Almost like magic, everything on my screen suddenly jumped into slightly sharper focus as soon as I put the RIOT glasses on. That had to be a quirk of not having cleaned my old glasses in a while, versus the new, fresh out of the box pair, so I gave the lenses on my old pair a thorough cleaning and tried the experiment again. Still better with the GUNNARs.
Old and Busted
In the nearly two months now since the conclusion of PAX East, the RIOT glasses have been my everyday computer glasses. At my regular job as a programmer, I wear them whenever I’m on my computer, which is essentially all the time, except when I’m attending another meeting that could have been an email. They’re great even when I’m just using my phone too. Some iOS games are really meant more for an iPad than an iPhone screen, and I find myself squinting at tiny print far less when wearing the GUNNARs than I do with either no glasses, or while wearing my normal prescription lenses. In fact, my only complaint has been that I almost need a second pair – one to keep at home, and one to keep at the office, so I don’t forget to pack the glasses into my bag at the beginning and end of the week.
The glasses have proven quite durable and scratch resistant. While I generally remember to put them away in the included soft carrying case at the end of the day, they also spend a fair amount of time just sitting on my desk. A quick wipe down with a soft cleaning cloth has proven to be the only thing they require, but that’s normal for any pair of glasses. Comfort has been great as well. Despite the larger size of the frames as compared to my regular eyewear, the RIOT glasses don’t feel heavy on my face. The generous ear pieces also hold the glasses to my head well without feeling like my head is being squeezed in a vice, and keep the glasses from needing regular readjustment as they slowly slip down my nose.
New hotness
The bottom line, is that for anyone who suffers from dry eyes, eyestrain headaches, or sleep issues, and spends a lot of time looking at electronic screens, a good pair of computer glasses is well worth looking into. While GUNNAR’s eyewear is still on the higher side of the price range, they make a quality product, which is noticeably better than some less expensive options. GUNNAR will also be happy to custom-make any of their glasses in a customer’s prescription.
A pair of GUNNAR Optiks RIOT glasses were provided for this review. Find out more about GUNNAR Optiks at their website, or on their Twitter page.
