GUNNAR Optiks Digital Performance Eyewear @ [H]

I can't believe I haven't seen this thread until now. As an optometrist I have some expertise here. The 2 main components to computer vision syndrome are dry eyes secondary to decreased blink rate, a "lag of accommodation" (meaning you tend to focus slightly behind your screen rather than right on it), and glare. I've never tried this product, so I can't say if its complete junk or not. I can say that I would first address dryness with cheap over-the-counter artificial tears (or rewetting drops if you wear contact lenses) and you can get an antireflective coating to reduce glare put on any glasses. As far as the lag of accommodation goes, its usually problematic for people who are presbyopic (over 40) and people who have an uncorrected refractive error. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. I don't check messages here often, but I'll get around to it eventually.
 
Wow, first time coming into gen hardware looking for usb hubs and stumbled on this sticky.

I don't really have the extra spending funds for Rx versions of these so I'd like to know how I would be able to order something that has similar functions to the gunnars from a site like zennioptical. Would it just be like AR coating, a 10% yellow or amber, and progressive lenses? Or, is there a way to get that magnification sans the progressive lens option and just have it on the entire area of the lens? If it matters, I have astigmatism. I also watch more videos and play more games than reading text, so should I forgo the tint option?
 
Calpis said:
Wow, first time coming into gen hardware looking for usb hubs and stumbled on this sticky.

I don't really have the extra spending funds for Rx versions of these so I'd like to know how I would be able to order something that has similar functions to the gunnars from a site like zennioptical. Would it just be like AR coating, a 10% yellow or amber, and progressive lenses? Or, is there a way to get that magnification sans the progressive lens option and just have it on the entire area of the lens? If it matters, I have astigmatism. I also watch more videos and play more games than reading text, so should I forgo the tint option?
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I personally would forgo the tint. It's pretty worthless indoors unless you have a retinal disease. There are huge differences is the quality of AR coatings. The older generation coating have had a lot of problems peeling off, scratching, and are just a pain to keep clean. I recommend the Crizal Avance with Scotchguard AR coating.

Progressive lenses require a Rx and are expensive to make. While progressive lenses are great because they let you see all distances clearly, if you're only using the glasses at the computer, you don't need progressive lenses. A single-vision Rx set to whatever distance your monitor is from your face would be cheaper.
 
I was curious too about the GUNNAR Optiks Digital Performance Eyewear. I wear contacts and when i stare at a computer screen all day my eyes start to get fuzzy. A pair of these would definitely help me out. i hate getting to the point were i have to squint to see the screen
 
I definitevly need glasses for against eyestrain and dry eyes.

is gunnar still the best option?
Is there any other equal or better glasses?
 
Could someone make a poll for people who have used these over a month AND had eyestrain before they bought them - do they work?
 
The Gunnar Crystalline series have come out, available on a few styles. Are there any reviews about these particular glasses with the Crystalline lenses and how they compare to the regular Amber lenses?

The Cyrstalline lenses is supposed to be made for graphics designer or people that depend on accurate color while using their computers. Gunnar suggests that these people should get the Crystaline series, but for everyone else, the regular Amber lenses will produce the best results. This implies that there is something about the Cyrstalline series that is somehow not as effective as the Amber ones and I'd really like to know what that is before I order a pair of Gunnars.
 
Its an excellent concept. I sit infront of my PC alot & could use a set myself but for the price is a deal killer to me
 
They're low strength magnification lenses tinted yellow, folks. Don't buy into the hype.

Get low strength reading glasses over the counter and use f.lux to color temp your screen to a more nighttime/halogen type color.
 
i have em' and can't work for the last 6months without them now at work. i use them 8 hours a day, and it really reduces strain on white background apps.

id love to get the prescription ones now that are available but its a pain in wisconsin to get them
 
mkygod: crystal/clear lenses are for 3d/artists... it brightens or doesnt distort colors. however amber is effective more at reducing eye strain since the yellow tint helps distort the white color from the monitor. this is what helps me most with eye strain.
 
i use mine, its ben about a year or almost 2 now.

i cant work without them, i work IT support for 8hours+
 
jroe52 said:
i use mine, its ben about a year or almost 2 now.

i cant work without them, i work IT support for 8hours+
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I work on IT support service contracts, 8+ hours here too. does it really make everything a little green?
 
Uh, guys, like I said before.

f.lux to change the color temperature of your monitor.

Free.
 
nothing is green.

the only colors that are different are bright white which are a little duller/gray... nothing really turns yellow/green like you think it would. maybe at first things might look amber.

its not really like turning down brightness either, its as if someone cut out the brightest white end of the spectrum.

they do help reduce the bloodshot eyes alot and im not sleepy all day like i use to be.

i'd say get a 100$ or less pair on newegg test htem out before buying a prescription pair
 
I'm still wondering why people buy these.......

Most likely +0.25 diopter CR-39 Lenses with yellow tint and AR Coat?
They don't even match up your PD (well, not like it would matter with +0.25D anyways...)

If these do relieve any sort of symptoms, most likely your closing in on 40, or you're hyperopic, latent hyperopia, haven't had an eye exam for a while, convergence excess, or just got used to wearing these plus lenses saving your eyes from having to accommodate just +0.25D more.

not trying to threadcrap, just wondering how the hype got started
 
Wow I didn't realize that these things actually work. I've been getting worse and worse eye strain now that I've started working (programming); my job requires that I stare at a screen for 8-10 hours a day, and I usually spend the rest of the day on a computer too. :X

Does anyone have the prescription ones? How are they in terms of cost? I have really bad eyesight and no contacts atm. I could order some contacts, but glasses are perfectly serviceable for me at the moment and contacts are more of a hassle.

Seriously considering dropping $100 on a pair of these, eye strain is really bad for me. Any style recommendations? Is there a style that you guys would be seen out in public wearing? :p

mkygod said:
The Gunnar Crystalline series have come out, available on a few styles. Are there any reviews about these particular glasses with the Crystalline lenses and how they compare to the regular Amber lenses?

The Cyrstalline lenses is supposed to be made for graphics designer or people that depend on accurate color while using their computers. Gunnar suggests that these people should get the Crystaline series, but for everyone else, the regular Amber lenses will produce the best results. This implies that there is something about the Cyrstalline series that is somehow not as effective as the Amber ones and I'd really like to know what that is before I order a pair of Gunnars.
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I'm very interested in this too. I'm not particularly enthused about turning the world yellow while at work, but if this normal lens color works just as well, I'd almost certainly drop the money on one of these "crystalline" gunnars.

Anyone have any experience with this option?
 
F.LUX DOES THE SAME THING.

AND IT'S FUCKING FREE!!
 
techrat said:
F.LUX DOES THE SAME THING.

AND IT'S FUCKING FREE!!
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software adjustment of the color on a monitor without either a reference color comparator or color analyzer hardware is pointless.

If you knew anything about how human vision system works in regards to how ambient light levels and source intensity affect eye strain you wouldn't be so adament to tell people that a software tweak of the color LUT is gonna fix eye strain for them.

The eye strain that comes from computer use as stated from the optometrist at the to of the page comes from dry eyes (due to decreased blinking) and focus issues.

Human vision is optimized to see better farther than up close and when you force focus on a close object in bad lighting conditions the only way to help is to try to reduce the diffrence between the ambient lighting and the screen brightness and control the quality of the ambient light.

The Gunnar glasses try to do both, or one could turn the brightness on their monitor down and the room lighting up.

A software LUT change only changes the whitepoint of the screen and if your screen is too bright , moving the software brightness slider is stupid when the scree will have a backlight or brightness control that will fix the issues directly.
 
bloodhawke83 said:
Kyle, do you still use these gunnar glasses?
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Hehe, late reply.

No I do not use these at all any more. First reason being that these were not comfortable enough to wear for a long time. Second, I have gotten glasses in the last year for reading.
 
I still use mine 8 hours a day or so in IT. I agree with Kyle sometimes it can be uncomfortable. Its almost like trading one type of eye stress for a new type. I do get less red eye, less fatigued and overall have less eye strain. I cannot work without them now.

WEIRD NOTE: Optometrist 2 months ago said I now have 20/20 and no longer need glasses for driving.

So I got my physical at a hospital today for work: 20/10 vision.

What the heck. I still like wearing my prescription glasses to movies... the crispness is that much better. To me its like having binoculars on and I love it at sports games, hunting etc where the extra vision helps. My vision is also improved with wearing plain sunglasses or my broken pair of prescribed ones.

Where am I going with this? For me, I feel light sensitivity plays a huge role in the quality of my vision. If I reduce monitor strain I feel better and can see better, if I wear sunglasses out doors I can see better. Without sunglasses my pupils are the size of a pin drop. If you feel monitor brightness is an issue for you, its worth the 75$ chance.

I also want to note I have been wearing them for 2 years+ and have no scratches unlike my 400$ pairs that scratch easily.
 
jroe52 said:
I still use mine 8 hours a day or so in IT. I agree with Kyle sometimes it can be uncomfortable. Its almost like trading one type of eye stress for a new type. I do get less red eye, less fatigued and overall have less eye strain. I cannot work without them now.

WEIRD NOTE: Optometrist 2 months ago said I now have 20/20 and no longer need glasses for driving.

So I got my physical at a hospital today for work: 20/10 vision.

What the heck. I still like wearing my prescription glasses to movies... the crispness is that much better. To me its like having binoculars on and I love it at sports games, hunting etc where the extra vision helps. My vision is also improved with wearing plain sunglasses or my broken pair of prescribed ones.

Where am I going with this? For me, I feel light sensitivity plays a huge role in the quality of my vision. If I reduce monitor strain I feel better and can see better, if I wear sunglasses out doors I can see better. Without sunglasses my pupils are the size of a pin drop. If you feel monitor brightness is an issue for you, its worth the 75$ chance.

I also want to note I have been wearing them for 2 years+ and have no scratches unlike my 400$ pairs that scratch easily.
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This would be very encouraging for my purchase... if I didn't have 20/300 vision. :( (On average, one eye is actually slightly worse.)

I'm so bad at continuing to use contacts.
 
i am near sighted (right? can't see too far)... so for me i dont need a prescription close up. the tinted glasses and weak prescription help me. my driving glasses on a computer get me sick since its not really meant to be for sitting in front of a pc.
 
I am so ridiculously on the fence about these, sigh.

Pretty exciting update for me though, I got Lasik this month! Having 20/20 vision has been awesome, and not needing prescription Gunnars has brought me back to this thread to reconsider (since I could get a pair for like $75-90).

I've been using Flux on the max dimming setting both at home and at work, but at the end of a day I'm still having some eye strain issues. Not sure if Gunnars can help though, I am looking at a computer screen for nearly 16 hours a day after all (job in software - then recreation time on my desktop when I get home).

Will Gunnars actually do something that Flux isn't doing already? I'm just not sure how it would keep my eyes from drying out, given that besides the lens tint I'm not sure how they would differ from a $5 pair of hipster fake-glasses.
 
Zarathustra[H];1038211678 said:
As I said before, this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

Total snake oil.
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but they stop UV RAYS!!!~!~!!`1`1`1

turns out that something the thickness of a piece of paper blocks about 95% of UV rays as well. So it turns out you can wear anything thicker and/or denser than a piece of paper and that's as good as it's gonna get unless you're into wearing lead (and harder, as the amount of atoms between your eyes and the sun makes a difference as well, so the density matters). I remember doing these experiment in microbiology =P

Snippet from their site:

http://www.gunnars.com/technology/indoor.php
Designed using advanced computer algorithms,
fRACTYL lens geometry mimics nature by focusing light. The highly wrapped configuration creates an ocular microclimate trapping in humidity and blocking out evaporative air currents.

benefits:
- precisely tuned to specific distances for
reduced visual stress
- advanced optics for augmented details
- independent ocular microclimate provides
increased humidity levels
- environmental barrier blocks ambient air
currents to alleviate dry-eye effects
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Specific distances has to do with lens and lens angle. essentially like prescription glasses, they're supposed to refocus your vision to the correct angle so it's not blurry at specific distances. An ophthalmologist didn't calibrate anything here. So that's 1 bullshit.

Advanced optics for augmented details... not sure what that means, but merely tinting the plastic means you're augmenting the details, eg. introducing a hue ;P Bullshit #2

The third one is awesome. What could they possibly mean? What they're claiming is they're introducing a new and different weather pattern between your eyes and the glasses. That's some fancy shit, but how and why? Increased humidity levels are quite common with any pair of glasses, as your sweat that's evaporating off your face during a warm day (or even with each breath on a colder day) means increased humidity levels, restricting air flow by having something block the wind means you're increasing sweating in response to a warmer "microclimate." Basically, put anything in front of your face and you'll sweat more. That's 3/3

Barrier blocks ambient air currents to prevent dry eye effects. Yes, but, again, put anything in front of your eyes and you'll block ambient air currents. Hell, if these were goggles they'd prevent air from getting in at all and would work even better not to mention serve a dual purpose for when you decide to step out of the office and take a swim. 4/4

I was browsing newegg and I stumbled upon these and had myself a few laughs. I can't believe you guys reviewed these, but I guess any dumbass who wears magical electromagnetic bracelets needs a matching pair of sunglasses. Seems like it's always the one person trying to sell some weird shit to you under the guise of science that understands the same scientific concepts the least.
 
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Sorry to bump an old thread, but thought the last post wasn't THAT old and didn't want to create a separate thread that most people aren't interested in. I've got some pretty bad dry eye issues (I suspect of having MGD, local eye doctors are crap where I live, must travel to another country for a better diagnosis).

Anyway, I've been really thinking about getting a pair of Gunnar glasses, but I'm not sure if I should get the amber tinted one or the clear crystalline version? I'm a bit OCD when it comes to color calibration, but my eye issues have been really messing me up lately.

The price difference isn't an issue an at all now that the clear version costs only a bit more than the amber glasses (price difference used to be pretty big before). Would appreciate it if someone who used the crystalline would share his experience about whether it helped eye strain/dryness issue or not. As for the ones who use the normal amber version, how much of a big difference do you see in colors when wearing those glasses? Too yellowish or not that bad?
 
Bought a pair from woot.com the other day for $20. Don't like them, they actually cause more strain for me as everything gets a bit blurry, maybe it's a side effect of using contacts with them, probably perscription would work better.
 
The only time I ever have eye strain is when the lights are dim and there is a bright white background. Simply turning on a desk lamp fixes it.
 
metallicaband said:
I've got some pretty bad dry eye issues (I suspect of having MGD, local eye doctors are crap where I live, must travel to another country for a better diagnosis).
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Warm compresses, lid scrubs with baby shampoo, and Systane Balance artificial tears are the best treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction
 
SBSuperfly said:
Warm compresses, lid scrubs with baby shampoo, and Systane Balance artificial tears are the best treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction
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I've already been doing the first two, they do give me relief but for the most part it doesn't last long, I'd say 30 minutes tops. Being a video gamer and PC user sure makes things a lot worse for me though, I have been gaming a lot less since a year now when the symptoms started to kick in, which really sucks since gaming is pretty much my favorite hobby.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Systane balance artificial tears, it almost seems too good to be true because the tear drops that I've used so far have been all been absolutely useless (refresh plus, naturale tears, blink intensive tears, genteal gel..etc), I'll try my best to find one of those locally, will order online if I couldn't, hope it'll work for me and won't end up being disappointed yet again.

Do you have any experience with systane balance though? If yes, how long do your eyes feel good after using 'em? A couple of hours would be awesome for me, hell I'd put 'em 6 times a day if that's the case lol, much better than what I used so far that only last like 5 minutes..!
 
metallicaband said:
I've already been doing the first two, they do give me relief but for the most part it doesn't last long, I'd say 30 minutes tops. Being a video gamer and PC user sure makes things a lot worse for me though, I have been gaming a lot less since a year now when the symptoms started to kick in, which really sucks since gaming is pretty much my favorite hobby.

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Systane balance artificial tears, it almost seems too good to be true because the tear drops that I've used so far have been all been absolutely useless (refresh plus, naturale tears, blink intensive tears, genteal gel..etc), I'll try my best to find one of those locally, will order online if I couldn't, hope it'll work for me and won't end up being disappointed yet again.

Do you have any experience with systane balance though? If yes, how long do your eyes feel good after using 'em? A couple of hours would be awesome for me, hell I'd put 'em 6 times a day if that's the case lol, much better than what I used so far that only last like 5 minutes..!
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lid scrubs and warm compresses are not for relief as much as they are to treat the root of the problem. When the oil that comes out of your meibomian glands to fortify you tears hardens up and blocks the glands from functioning you get MGD. Your tears don't have enough lipid and mucin and are too wet making them dry too quickly and can lead to burning and excess tearing. The lid scrubs and warm compresses are to clear these blockages and get the lipid to flow through the glands better. Most artificial tears are simply a lubricant. Systane Balance and Soothe XP are two types of tears specifically designed to compliment the dysfunctional lipid and mucin component of your tear film.
 
I use glasses because I'm near-sighted, and recently I've been getting tired from being in front of the screen so much. I work in IT, and gaming is my one hobby. After reading this thread, I don't know if they'll be able to help, but it seems they help on a case by case basis. I wonder if my optometrist knows about these....
 
SBSuperfly said:
lid scrubs and warm compresses are not for relief as much as they are to treat the root of the problem. When the oil that comes out of your meibomian glands to fortify you tears hardens up and blocks the glands from functioning you get MGD. Your tears don't have enough lipid and mucin and are too wet making them dry too quickly and can lead to burning and excess tearing. The lid scrubs and warm compresses are to clear these blockages and get the lipid to flow through the glands better. Most artificial tears are simply a lubricant. Systane Balance and Soothe XP are two types of tears specifically designed to compliment the dysfunctional lipid and mucin component of your tear film.
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Yeah I know what those are for since I did quite a bit of reading about the subject, but I've been doing the routine for months with 5 minute compresses twice a day, but so far it only made it mildly better for me and my eyes feel best only for a little while after the compresses. I am however going to try taking a good amount of Omega 3s which I have barely been getting any in my diet.

I'll probably still order the regular Gunnar amber tint glasses though, PC usage is definitely the thing that makes my eyes hurt the most, my eyes don't feel that bad when I'm not using it or playing videos games.
 
metallicaband said:
I'll probably still order the regular Gunnar amber tint glasses though, PC usage is definitely the thing that makes my eyes hurt the most, my eyes don't feel that bad when I'm not using it or playing videos games.
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Went ahead and bought the MLG phantom Gunnars in mercury color from amazon.com, I don't like the fact MLG's logo is on it but I liked the design best compared to the rest so there wasn't much I could do about it.

Hopefully I'll get them within a week (international shipping), will let you guys know how they work out, at the moment I get bloodshot eyes with burning sensations when playing video games or concentrating on PC stuff for more than an hour, if that no longer happened it'll be a good indication about an improvement.
 
metallicaband said:
Went ahead and bought the MLG phantom Gunnars in mercury color from amazon.com, I don't like the fact MLG's logo is on it but I liked the design best compared to the rest so there wasn't much I could do about it.

Hopefully I'll get them within a week (international shipping), will let you guys know how they work out, at the moment I get bloodshot eyes with burning sensations when playing video games or concentrating on PC stuff for more than an hour, if that no longer happened it'll be a good indication about an improvement.
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A small update, I've had the phantom gunnars for around a week now, even though it does make reading stuff easier on the PC, I can see my freaking eyes reflection on the lenses at ALL times if I'm not sitting in a Very bright room and using a monitor!

Needless to say, this reflection only gives me a headache, pretty useless product in my case.
 
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