I know what you are thinking.
I have clearly lost my marbles.
Maybe you’re right, but not with regard to this review.
The reason I found these interesting is that I work in front of a computer screen all day, and I regularly end up with pretty sore eyes at the end of a busy day. Gunnar claim that these glasses will help you reduce the eye strain that is associated with use of screens day in and day out.
This an explanation of how this happens below…
Individual blink rate is decreased by approximately 60 percent when using a computer or near distance work, consequently, protective tear film layers are replenished less frequently, leaving eyes irritated, dry, and exposed to environmental damage. Long term effects may include abrasion, erosion, and scarring of the cornea. Our highly wrapped frame limits air currents and increases humidity to form a protective barrier around the eye. Continuous flexion of ciliary muscles during long periods of near distance viewing can cause blurred vision, difficulty focusing, double vision and eye strain. Our Lens Design pre-focuses the light allowing ciliary muscles to relax while details appear sharper.
So that seems to be legit, but lets see whether they actually work.
Design/Hardware
The glasses are pretty cool-looking and seem to be well thought out. I found that the design fitted my face pretty well and they did not cause any undue irritation on the areas behind my ears, unlike some of the sunglasses or normal glasses I’ve worn over the years.
At this point I should clarify something. I have to wear glasses for reading and also for watching TV. I also tend to wear them when a using a screen too, but I shouldn’t wear them for everything. I currently wear a pair of Oakleys as I found them to be the most comfortable for a long time.
The Gunnar frames were as good, if not slightly better, in means of fit and feel. The way they sit on the bridge of the nose with minimal pressure and also the lack of marking after wearing them for a long time period. I also found that the fit behind the ears was superb and up there once again with my normal Oakley frames. This is high praise indeed as the frames that I have in my regular glasses cost twice the amount of the Gunnars, and that is before you add the lenses.
We have ascertained that they feel good, but how do they look? Well, this is really down to your own taste, as the yellow anti-glare tinting on the lenses doesn’t exactly scream “subtle”. But I can honestly say once I was wearing them I stopped noticing the glances from people. I work in a busy environment and not once was I stopped to be asked why I had yellow lenses on my glasses.
I am pretty happy with how they looked but the real test is when you are wearing them. The good news is that Gunnar also offer certain designs in clear lenses as well.
Usage
I wore the glasses on and off whilst gaming and doing some work on my laptop, including using them for a full day at the office. This was done over a few days and I did notice that my eyes irritated less than usual. Although I cannot state categorically if this was due to the glasses or just because of the days I was having, I do feel that they made a difference to how tired I felt. I would feel confident in getting a prescription pair of these and replacing my normal glasses with these for day to day usage.
If you do suffer from eye strain during your work or during your intensive gaming sessions, then go ahead and check out Gunnar Optics and see what you think.
The website can be found here Gunnar Optics. they can also be picked up from Scan for around £88.