Categories: TECHNOLOGY

Gunnar Eyewear: Useful or Just Another Gimmick?

Gunnar is a company which primarily produces eyewear for the purpose of reducing eyestrain when using a computer or any device with a screen. Gunnar eyewear utilizes a mix of design changes from traditional glasses that are specifically tuned to improve your performance with screens. With curved lenses on the glasses, humidity is trapped against your eye and dries out slower. The lens material is specifically made to cut down on glare and improve contrasts in color while blocking sources of light which may strain your eyes.

The model in particular that I will be reviewing will be the Gunnar PPK series.

Background

I spend a lot of time on computers and looking into monitors. I am an avid gamer and a college student so whether it’s fragging or word processing, my eyes were being bombarded by the backlight of a monitor. With prolonged sessions on my computer, I would get a sharp headache and feel like my eyes are pushing themselves out of my eye sockets. Reading about possible solutions to my problem, I discovered the Gunnar glasses.

Cost

Gunnars do not come cheap, with low end models costing around $60 and high end models reaching above $175. Looking at a cheaper model (the PPK in particular), I decided that this would be an investment for my health and made the purchase.

First Impressions

The Glasses were shipped in a clear glasses case and arriving with booklets of other Gunnar products and a carrying bag. The glasses size was perfect for my head and I immediately tried them on. The first thing you notice with the glasses are the yellow tint that are signature to most Gunnar products. While it isn’t a heavy tint, it still makes everything look yellow and might be hard to get used to. The ability to see colors on screen did not seem to differ, while even with a yellow tinting, it is easy to contrast between different colors.

Extended Use

The things that you do not notice initially are the primary reason for making this purchase. After getting used to the glasses, I did a stress test on my eyes by engaging in a liberal study session in preparation for my finals. After looking at a monitor for a good eight hours, I found myself feeling comfortable when I would normally be calling it quits. The glasses themselves are very comfortable and after enough use, they become a natural feeling for whenever you are using a computer.

Is it worth it?

Because of the curvature of the lens, Gunnars slightly magnify everything and can produce a distorting effect when looking over distances. Because of this, Gunnars can serve only a very specific role which is in front of the computer. Despite the drawbacks, I feel that anyone who spends even a small time in front of the computer a day should purchase a pair of glasses. It is a small investment to protect your eyesight for years to come, and I feel that it is worthy of purchase, a recommendation I would make to anyone. As for me, I bought my PPKs over eight months ago and have worn them every day without fail. Gunnars are definitely a smart purchase.