Gaming glasses. What are they? Are they just another fashion trend? What do they do? What’s the point in wearing a pair of glasses if I don’t even have a prescription? Why do my eyes hurt while I’m playing games? Why is my vision blurry after a couple of rounds of League of Legends or a few hours of editing spreadsheets? Gaming glasses are designed specifically to lessen the effects of blue light on your eyes.
Many people may think that not everyone needs gaming glasses except those who experienced eye problems with gaming like having a blurred or double vision while staring at the digital screen. Still, gaming glasses protect the eyes from more than just that.
Gaming Glasses – what they do?
Gaming eyeglasses prevent the eyes from quite a large amount of wave of light which is harmful to the eyes. If you’ve been playing games for quite some time, you must have experienced either of the following:
a. Throbbing headaches
b. Lack of focus
c. Pain in-between the eyes
d. Dry eyes or maybe insomnia after playing late at night.
All these and more could be due to the long time spent starring at a digital screen while playing. That’s why gaming glasses are recommended to anyone who regularly plays computer games, watches TV, or plays a game on a digital screen. There’s a rising figure in the number of gaming glasses and here are some of the best gaming glasses in the game right now.
Types of Gaming Glasses
Altec Vision Lenses
Although these glasses look like an ordinary pair of glasses to the eye, however, they contain one of the best stainless steel frames and can handle our everyday habitual computer work. However, its lenses are slightly tinted yellow and equipped with xBlue resin technology. This technology completely blocks UV light and allows over 90% of visible light to pass through. These glasses prevent any gleam so that you can focus on your game without any visual hindrance. They may not be the best for some professional gamers. However, they serve as an excellent tool for eye protection and allow you to see crystal transparent colours through its lense.
HyperX Gaming Eyewear
HyperX gaming eyewear is one of the best gaming glasses right now. It is made of MR 8 lenses which are high refractive index ophthalmic lenses and currently the global leader in ophthalmic lenses. In addition, these glasses tend to be lightweight and is water, oil and dust repellant. The lenses filter out blue light, reducing digital eyestrain’s effect like headache, blurred vision etc. However, it offers 100% protection against UVA and UVB. These glasses are popular because of it’s unique design that allows you to wear it with or without headphones and can be worn anywhere even after the gaming session. It’s a lightweight and unique frame and it’s comfortable to wear during a long gaming session. The only downside of these glasses is that it costs about $100, which is way too much for most gamers.
J+S Vision Computer and Gaming Glasses
Almost all lenses of gaming glasses are a bit yellowish or dark tinted to reduce harmful blue light’s side effects. In other words, these filters slightly change the original colour of some features in the game which some people don’t like. The J+S vision computer and gaming glasses considered this and came up with something unique. These glasses come in four different frame options and five other lens options, making them an excellent unisex option with different colours and shapes.
People who spend most of their time on computer or smartphone screens will prefer the LCD (low colour distortion) lens option that looks barely tinted. However, the LCD still blocks out up to 50% of blue light that the screen emit and that will be of adequate protection for under 4hours per day. As for people that spend more than 4hours, like the heavy gamers, IT professionals and more, there is the HD (heavy duty) lenses option. The HD lens option gives about 63% protection against blue light which is suitable for about 8hours per day on the screen. One thing in common with all of its lenses is that they offer 400UV protection and anti-reflection coatings that are of excellent protection to the eyes.
The Gunnar Optiks
You can’t talk about gaming glasses without including Gunnar Optiks. Gunnar Optiks founded and advertised as treated eyewear and as safety glasses that protect eyes from a computer or digital screen vision syndrome. Many people have noticed a big difference with eye relief since using the Gunnar Optiks glasses. Gunnar eyewear has received considerable attention in technical media reviews, including PCWorld, Lifehacker, Huffington Post, and Gizmodo. Some of its top gaming glasses include:
- Intercept by Gunnar
- Micron (Gunnar)
- MLG Phantom (Gunnar)
Intercept by Gunnar
A couple of people who use these glasses reported that they complete the line between Fashion and Science. It comes in a classic retro frame that is fused with futuristic technology. Above all, its lenses block 100% UV light and up to 65% of harmful blue light and allow up to 83% of visible light to pass through. The lenses are coated to prevent it from scratching. Don’t expect accurate colours looking through these lenses. Therefore, whatever you look at with these glasses will be noticeably warmer than it actually is. That is always a preferable effect when playing a competent game or staring at a computer screen, or any digital screen that isn’t set to natural or warm colour. If disadvantages are to be concerned, the only problem with this gaming glass is that it is not headset portable, and that is where other Gunnar optics come into play.
Gaming Micron(Gunnar)
Gaming micron help prevents the eyes from short and long term retinal damage. It blocks 65% of harmful blue light and blocks 100% of UV, and they can be worn outdoors. It has an immediate and noticeable advantage when viewing any LCD screen. The lenses capture and enhance good light to increase optical endurance. It also reduces high energy visible light to speed visual recovery and enhance contrast for a sharper view.
Gunnar MLG Phantom
This glass by Gunnar looks sporty with red on most of its frame. Its lenses are amber-tinted which adds sharpness to an image. Therefore, it blocks up to 65% of blue light, and it is slightly magnificent to help reduce eyestrain from far objects. It has a uniquely designed frame that prevents the eyes from getting dry. It also has an adjustable silicone that makes it comfortable using headsets and a nose pad that is adjustable to users comfort. You don’t get any divot feeling when you take the glasses off after hours of usage; these glasses are about 23g in weight, making them very light in weight.
Now, how about gamers that have prescription glasses already? Are the prescription glasses alone enough for them to play games with? The answer is “No”. Almost all prescription glasses are meant to correct vision, either long or short-sighted, and playing games with only these glasses can lead to eye problems. There are a couple of gaming glasses that are meant for people with prescription glasses. The best of these glasses include:
The Gameking Ultra Clip-On
With 100% protection against UV light and 83% elimination of harmful blue light from the screen, the Gameking ultra clip-on stand in the perfect premium class of gaming glasses. It has a patented amber tint polycarbonate lens. Moreover, these glasses provide high contrast and anti-reflective coating on the lens that eliminates glare and halo. Another significant advantage of these glasses is that it is designed to clip directly on other drinks, so there is no need to switch pair of glasses anytime you settle in front of your gaming screen. It’s a perfect option for those that already use prescription glasses.
Duco Optiks 8954L
These glasses are designed to fit over existing frames. They basically come in three sizes, so it won’t be hard to find the one that fits your existing glasses. Duco glasses’ frames are made from specially designed polymer TR90, which has a very low density and makes it lightweight. The TR90 makes the frame flexible; you can bend the frames at about 90 degrees without damaging or breaking them. The lenses come with an amber-tint for better colour and view. They also have a coating on them to safeguard it from glare that may interrupt the gamers vision. Like other gaming glasses, these glasses come with all the protection features you need to protect the eye from harmful radiation bouncing out from the digital screen.
Call us on 0161 665 3673 to book an appointment with us now! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @chaddertonopticians for the latest eye health news.