I apologize up front because what follows gets a little long winded, but I really didn't believe in these Gunnars before I bought them. I'll post a Too Long; Didn't Read (TL; DR) at the end.
As someone who has sat in front of gaming monitors for most of my life, I never once considered that eye strain was a real thing. I knew that over-exposure to unnatural light over time could lead to negative health effects on the brain/sleep/circadian rhythm as I had done some research on this subject at university, but I never read about or considered my eyes could also be negatively impacted.
Let me give you a quick look at how much I sit in front of a screen. I can almost guarantee I do it more than you. At the beginning of the year 2016, I got into broadcasting on Twitch (what some people would call streaming). Five to six nights a week, I would sit in front of a computer screen and play video games and interact with an audience for anywhere to 4 to 6 hours a night. I would use a green screen to put myself almost "into" the game. Green screens, to work properly, require a lot of light and as a result I used one overhead light as well as two of those directional-five lightbulb stand lamps. These, as well as my computer monitors, would flare at me well into the night and early morning. On top of this, I had considerable screen time at my job where I would be in front of all sorts of both large and small monitors, tvs, and all sorts of light. Add those 5 hours of streaming to an 8 hour work day, not to mention I do like to mess around on the computer and my phone before going to work or going to sleep... I have a large percentage of my day in front of a screen.
Eventually, I started developing a weird eye twitching and my eyes would often bug me even when I wasn't in front of a screen. It got to a point where there would be days I would wear full-on sunglasses in my own house at night just to help my eyes recover from a long day/night of work/gaming/broadcasting. I decided that mayyyybe I was over-doing it and that I should probably consider helping myself out.
So, I started looking into Gunnars or really any kind of ways to reduce eye stress. Obviously, the best first step would be to reduce screen time or exposure to artificial light. I cut back on how much I broadcasted and I started going to bed a little earlier, but I knew I was always going to want to spend SOME time in front of a screen outside of work. Gunnars jumped out to me as a name brand, and their website offered some exceptional learning tools and feedback from the community. I decided I'd try to pick up a pair.
I chose this pair mostly because I like how low-key they were especially since they are not wrapped with the frame. I like the more modern look. They are also one of the more popular models that Gunnar sells so I thought it seemed like a good match of style, popularity, and price.
Okay, great, lots of random storytelling but how do they actually work? Well, they're amazing. While I don't wear them to work, I noted that after the first couple days of home use that my eye twitching reduced and now is almost eliminated. I am at least making the turn in the right direction. I also note that when I don't wear them that my eyes do feel more strained over time. I don't feel like rubbing my eyes after long sessions in front of a screen now. I truly do feel that they are helping my long term eye health. And best of all, no more sunglasses in doors after nightfall. :D
Pick them up, give them a try. I wasn't a believer before but I certainly am now. Thanks for reading.
TL; DR: These glasses have a sleek design and for someone who spends 10+ hours in front of screens every day, they helped reduce my eye strain and eye fatigue. Well worth giving a try.
