Why wear these? Blue light is what disrupts our melatonin production (making it hard to fall asleep at night), gives off the wrong circadian rhythm cycle messages in our eyes, and creates a lot of the eye strain from staring at screens. There are all sorts of studies on this, but Harvard has a good simple, fast article about it.
I can't use my phone or computer for long without wearing these glasses. It doesn't take more than a few minutes for me to start squinting, getting red eyes, tears start producing... and before I know it the dreaded screen headache. It was never that bad for me until recent years, after developing these illnesses. I used to stare at a computer for hours and hours during my teens and early 20's without much complaint. I'm a gamer, what can I say? But now I have to use screens in small doses or wear my computer glasses.
For a few years I've been wearing a pair made by Gamma-Ray, which I bought on Amazon. This particular pair isn't sold anymore, but the brand is pretty much the same, you just choose the frames you like.
They help a lot, and I've relied on them. They've served me well. But I was never entirely happy with how easily they smudge, and how hard it is to clean the lenses. I often just put up with feeling like I have a film on the lens. I've also been unhappy with how they're flat, letting light in from the sides. If I'm near LED lights (which also affect my vision like screens do, so be cautious about putting them into your home if you're light sensitive), the light from them hits my eyes from the sides. Most of the time this isn't a problem.
But I started to question if other brands really were making computer glasses better. There are a couple name brand companies that claim to do it best. Gunnar and TrueDark (Bulletproof's Dave Asprey supports the TrueDark brand) both are the elite brands, and both offer glasses with curved lenses to protect the sides of your eyes too.
I found a pair of Gunnar glasses on discount, so I decided to buy it and try it out. I bought the Blizzard Heroes of the Storm (video game) themed glasses, lol. Gunnar makes glasses for specific video games. Anyway, they have larger lenses than my other pair, and they are curved. Also, the frame is very thin, and my hope was that I wouldn't be looking at the frame in my peripheral vision like I do with my Gamma Ray glasses.
They're ugly as sin on me! 😀 lol
But that doesn't matter so much. For a pair of glasses that was originally around $80, I'm actually not impressed.
First of all, the frames feel cheap, like a toy. I worry that they'll be easy to break.
Secondly, yes, they are curved lenses, but not as much as I expected. They do offer a slight advantage in width over the Gamma Ray glasses, and I do get more eye protection. But not as much as I was hoping for. The problem is that the curvature makes me really dizzy! If I'm looking straight ahead at the screen there is no problem, but I cannot walk around with them on. They give me vertigo like nothing else does!
Thirdly, the lenses truly are better. There is a noticeable difference between the Gamma Ray lenses vs these Gunnar lenses. Gunnar is known for having the best lenses, and I understand why now. It's like I'm not looking through a lens at all. They're very clear, and I don't see the frames in my peripherals. They definitely block out the blue light. It doesn't look like there is an amber hue while I'm wearing them, but the screen looks very purple to me when I take them off. They simply do work better for me, even though the Gamma Ray glasses are more comfortable and don't make me dizzy.
Gunnar:
Gamma Ray:
Can you see the difference?
I was happy with the Gamma Ray for years. They do work, they significantly cut down on eye strain and redness. But the Gunnar filter better. I don't see the amber color when I'm wearing them, my screen still looks white. It just doesn't look as glaring, bright, and shiny.
Ideally I'd rather have a pair of Gunnar glasses that have all the features I like without the way the lenses are curved to make me so dizzy. I'd also love a pair that isn't black and has a more feminine shape. I'm asking for too much, aren't I? Sigh.
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