As technology grows and more and more people are looking at various types of screens, whether they are computer screens, phone screens, tv screens or gaming screens, one has to start to wonder what that staring at screens will do to our eyesight. Enter Gunnar Optiks, a company that is promoting and advertising ‘technology glasses’ that reduce glare and relax and create healthier eyes for technology users.
But how are these glasses any different that regular eye glasses? Is there anything to these strange, overpriced glasses?
Arstechnica interviewed optometrist Krista Anderson. Her take? “Really, it looks like a great marketing strategy for stuff I tell patients everyday.
“The tints are pretty standard in the optical community. The advantages stated are all true… they haven’t reinvented the wheel, so to speak,” she explains. The amber tint is going to increase contrast when looking at computer or television screens, and the anti-reflective coating will also help. Anderson says that should help you “get back 8-10 percent of the 12 percent of usable light that we lose to glare, when worn in front of a light-emitting source such as a computer or oncoming headlights.”
She goes on to explain that the other features are also solid. “The AR coating and hard coat are nothing that I don’t recommend to everyone ordering glasses in my practice,” Anderson tells Ars. “The ‘hydrophobic and oleophobic’ components are no different from the premium coatings I use in my practice.”
In other words, the glasses do in fact have benefits for your eyes, but it’s more a case of a handful of well-known optical techniques all aimed at helping your eyes when you look at a computer or television screen for hours at a time.”
So how should gamers and IT workers alike take care of their eyes?
1. Make sure you get annual eye examinations and have proper glasses or contacts for your eyesight.
2. If you’re interested in the Gunnar Optiks, find out how much they might cost with the size and style you’re interested in, then ask your local optometrist if they can beat the price.
3. If you can, take five minute breaks away from comptuer screens. While these breaks seem small, they relax your eyes and renew their ability to focus. Also, eye drops can help keep eyes moist and less strained.