Eyes, they are the windows of the soul as they say. And as it turns out, they are quite fragile. Everything from dirt and debris to The Mountain from Game of Thrones can cause massive and irreparable harm. Another threat to our eyes happens to be the glowing, almost indistinguishable blue light emitting from your screen. I can say that since my ears have become destroyed by years of heavy metal music and live shows, I figured I would try to salvage my vision as best I can. Here is where Gunnar and their gaming glasses enter the fray.
Yes, the concept of gamer glasses might seem odd and I had my qualms. My assumption has been that “gamer glasses” and anything of that ilk was nothing but snake oil. I can say that after about a month of using them almost every day, I stand corrected. Thanks to Gunnar, I have been gifted two pairs of their Call of Duty themed glasses and I must say, I am impressed. I already used a cheap pair of blue-light blocking glasses at my day job where I look at screen anywhere between 8 to 9 hours at a time and while those were good, the Gunners take my experience to another level.
First, before I dive further into the glasses and what they provide, I feel like we need to quickly visit what blue light is. Blue light is a part of the visible light spectrum and is found in every single display, including the one you are reading this on. According to UC Davis Health, blue light boosts alertness and can help keep you active and while that does seem like a good thing, the long term effects are quite damaging. Too much blue light can actually effect your circadian rhythm and can contribute to age-related macular degeneration. Now that I have accurately struck fear into your mind, I can give you my personal opinion on these eye-saving cranial accessories.
That cheap pair of Amazon glasses I mentioned before did the trick for quite a while but when I swapped over to the Gunnars, I noticed an immediate difference. At first it took some getting used to as throwing on a pair instantly makes the world around you look like the Mexico scenes in Breaking Bad. The amber yellow tint combats the blue light from the screen, reducing eye fatigue and strain.
While many screens do utilize TUV Rheinland flicker-free and low blue light technologies, the Gunnars’ lenses provided me with some relief without distorting the color. After a couple of minutes my eyes quickly adapted; everything felt fine. It was only until I took off the glasses where I noticed exactly how much blue light was actually being blocked. I was wincing at my spreadsheets and documents, and much like Velma from Scooby Doo, I became awfully reliant on them. Funny enough, it wasn’t just the raw blue light that was being blocked, but it also helped provide some ease when it came to my overly white backgrounds.
According to an article on the Harvard Health Blog by David Ramsey, MD, PhD, MPH- “White LEDs may actually emit more blue light than traditional light sources, even though the blue light might not be perceived by the user. This blue light is unlikely to pose a physical hazard to the retina. But it may stimulate the circadian clock (your internal biological clock) more than traditional light sources, keeping you awake, disrupting sleep, or having other effects on your circadian rhythm.”
Feels familiar, right? As it turns out, the darker colored backgrounds are better for the eyes, hence one of the reasons why low-contrast modes exist and the reason why I am able to endlessly scroll Twitter without experiencing eye fatigue. Sure my soul gets a little dirty but at least my eyes feel okay.
Blue light is a major issue and a threat whether you are gaming or working. While there are settings that allow you to adjust the blue light emissions and companies like TUV Rheinland that certify displays for anti-flicker and blue light emissions, blue light still sneaks through. There are other technologies like auto-dimming which lowers the display’s brightness depending on your environment that plays into the full effects of blue light, having a pair of blue light blocking glasses is the equivalent of wearing your seatbelt.
For the sake of not sounding like a commercial, I feel obliged to say that Gunnar offers multiple frame styles, and in this case I received a pair of the Call of Duty Alpha and UAV Edition glasses.
The Alpha features a sturdy plastic frame with a black base adorned with red markings that look like a topographical map. There are bits of gray representing land and lakes, giving the pair a unique style. The UAV Edition uses an aluminum frame with a mix of the green camouflage style with a topographical motif, similar to the Alpha pair. The big difference between the two is the weight where the UAV Edition feels much lighter on the head.
They both included a fabric-covered hardshell case with a reinforced zipper that offered protection against drops and minor impacts. Inside that case was a bag to place the Gunnars along with a cleaning cloth. Additionally, there is a small lightweight clip on the outside of the case, allowing you to quickly secure the glasses to a bag, belt loop, or anywhere else where you’ll need them.
Gunnar also provides a litany of choices and designs apart from the Call of Duty motif, you can also find World of Warcraft (I like those), Diablo, Assassin’s Creed, and additional themes. They also offer various prescription glasses that come in a more classic style, free of the gaming designs, such as their Vertex style or, if you want to represent your nerdy side while also looking stylish, there are pairs such as the Marvel Stark Industries frames.
In conclusion, the glasses are great and the price range isn’t absolutely terrible. With pairs ranging from $50 to $100 plus, I can say that they are quite reasonably priced. Personally, I got my eyes on the Horde themed pair.
As someone who takes eye care seriously, I can absolutely recommend a pair of Gunnars. My preconceived notions have been shattered and I hope that if you are someone who grabs a pair yourself and sees the difference.
