Gaming glasses - It’s a fantastic addition to your gaming gear arsenal. You may have heard of them but are not too sure about what they do? Fear no more, let me tell you about this ultimate eye shield.
What Are Gaming Glasses?
Let's start off with differentiating your usual glasses from gaming ones. You can think of them as blue light blocking glasses designed specifically for gamers and their needs! So, are they just regular blue light glasses ? Heck no ! What do gaming glasses do differently?
Not only will they protect your eyes better from blue light with high tech filters, they will also protect you from UV rays, have an anti-glare coating, and increase contrast for a better gaming experience.
Additionally to the lenses, the frame has gotten an upgrade as well. Unlike any normal computer glasses, these are specifically designed to be comfortable when wearing a headset. So you can say goodbye to earaches after an intense game with the team!
The Benefits of Using Gaming Eyewear
The main benefit of using gaming glasses is to protect your eyes from all the harmful rays sent by your screen while playing.
Good protection = more endurance = better performance on the long run!
As you probably know, screens emit blue light, which can cause some serious health problems. It's been scientifically proven that blue light exposure ruins your circadian rhythm (in simpler terms, your internal clock) and eyesight.
It can cause short term problems such as eye fatigue, dry eye and sleep disruption. It is also suspected that a prolonged exposure could contribute to age-related macular degeneration.
So instead of exposing yourself to this harmful light, you can reduce it by wearing gaming glasses.
Better Sleep
When you're exposed to blue light, your mind thinks that it's still day when it's actually night (that is linked to the secretion of melatonin). That's why sometimes it is difficult to go to sleep. So when you wear them, you'll not only get to sleep faster but also you'll boost your sleep quality.
Less Eye Strain and Screen Fatigue
Another benefit of using gaming glasses is that it reduces screen fatigue. That means no more blurry vision and you’ll have more energy to rip and tear demons as a Doom slayer.
Better Health
Exposing yourself to harmful blue light can contribute to age-related macular degeneration. Blue light protection guarantees that when you play/work hard, you don't do it at the expense of your well being.
Don't Forget to Train
The benefits are very real, but won’t make you into a good e-sports player!
The things that make you a good player are your skills! You won’t start getting aces on Rainbow Six Siege games when you put them on!
Gaming Glasses Buying Guide
So you're looking to buy your first pair of gaming glasses? That's cool, but before you take out your credit card and buy the first ranking pair on google or Amazon, let's see what actually matters!
The thing is, gaming glasses aren't created equal. Some work best for certain people, while others do not. So let's get into the details, shall we?
Picking the correct lenses for your blue light Gaming Glasses
The most crucial aspect of choosing the right pair of glasses is the lens. First of all, make sure to understand what is the range of harmful rays filtrated : ideally, you want your gaming glasses to filter UV light + everything from 380 to 400 nano meters. The rest of the filtration depends on your use and sensitivity but it should have a decent filtration from 400 nm to 450 (the closer to 400, the higher the filter should be).
For people using screens intensively and/or people that are more sensitive to computer vision syndrome should select amber tinted lenses with a higher level of protection.
For people who need clear lenses and/or are less sensitive to the effects of artificial blue light, choose a clear filter (but make sure it filters as much light as possible on the [380-430] range).
If your profession is graphic design related, since your job requires you to see the full spectrum of the color wheel (for color grading), Amber-tinted ones may not work as well for you! So it's better to use transparent lenses glasses. On the contrary, if you are a hardcore gamer and need to maintain high level reflexes and perform for long hours, amber tinted glasses may be just what you need.
Other things to consider when buying gaming glasses
Additionally to lenses, you should think of three other things: price, comfort, and style.
Price
Let's start off with the price. The price range varies drastically. You could find some as low as $10 and others as high as $500. The price difference varies because of the build quality and how effective the lenses are (but also on the greediness of the companies that make them).
Great gaming glasses can start as low as 30 euros. Under that price, it will be difficult to find good protection and anywhere above 80 dollars for a pair of gaming glasses without prescription is too much.
Comfort
The thing is, it doesn't matter how well the lenses protect your eyes if they aren't comfortable to wear. Just think about it: would you put those glasses on when your ears hurt after every gaming night?
Probably not, so take that into consideration! See how much care has been put into the ergonomics of the frame. Try and find glasses designed to be worn comfortably with headphones.
Style
And lastly, take the looks of your glasses into consideration. You want them to look good on you, don't you? You want to put them on and feel confident. They will define your style, especially if you are streaming a lot so do not compromise here either.
Prescription gaming glasses
If you are already wearing normal glasses to correct your vision and need special prescription gaming glasses, you may be interested to know that a few companies do offer prescription gaming glasses ! It´s the case of our friends at Gunnar glasses (guys, remind me to remove this reference once we start making our own next year ;) ).
5 Best Gaming Glasses to Buy
Now you know the benefits and how to choose the right one! I'd like to end this article by offering you some recommendations. We crafted a nice little top 5 for you. Not a top 2, not a top 3, not a top model either. Hang on tight my friend!
Horus X - Gaming Revolution
Did you really think we were going to put a competitor first? But know that if we do this, it's not to rip you off with an average comparison. We have worked on this for hours, and if we position ourselves first, it's because we are confident in ourselves and in our products. We worked hard (really hard) on our gaming glasses and we are proud of the result. What's more, we try to be transparent about the technologies (pun intended) we use, which is not the case for all brands.
Our Gaming 2.0 glasses are the most advanced model for gamers to date. It is particularly affordable and offers the best filter on the market (86% of harmful rays). The frame is very light, the NosePad is designed to be comfortable and the pair obviously meets the European CE standard and the American ANSI standard
Positives:
- Ergonomic frames
- Best filter on the market
- Comfortable, light
- Awesome design
Negatives:
- Only offered in amber tint as of 2021.
Gunnar Optiks- Lightning Bolt 360
This is one of the most innovative pairs from Gunnar, whose main strength is in the modular side of these Lightning Bolt 360. If you play Xbox, you may have already tried the Elite controller: it's exactly the same idea.
Not that you'll be able to put joysticks on your frame, but rather that you'll be able to swap out certain elements. Temples, lenses and nose pads can be changed to best fit your sweet face. What you have to take into account, however, is that the design is quite special. If you like it, it's perfect, but if you don't want to wear a Pikachu tail on each cheek, then it might not be for you. On the other hand, the price is quite high compared to other equally comfortable pairs.
Positives:
- Available as prescription
- The modular aspect
- The comfort of the pair
Negatives:
- The very special design
- High price tag
Steichen - Orion
We are not going to talk here about the PlaySteichen 5, but about the Steichen brand and its Orion glasses. Flagship product of their range, they offer a very sober design with temples made of an alloy of carbon fiber and thermoplastic with memory. In terms of comfort, you could be fulfilled without worries, especially since the pair is very light. The flexibility of the temples also allows you to wear a gaming headset without problems, although this will depend mostly on the morphology of your face. But with all these little innovations on their pair, the price goes up very quickly. Steichen's Orion are priced over $100.
Positives:
- Nice performance comfort wise
- Clean design
Negatives:
- It's too expensive!
Horus X - Casual 2.0
Hey everyone, it's us again! Our Casual 2.0 glasses are not strictly speaking designed for gamers, but can be perfectly suitable for those who prefer more transparent casual glasses. Casual 2.0 blue light glasses are made for you if you are a casu gamer (occasional gamer), or if you work in front of your computer all day for work or even as a freelancer. As mentioned above, the filtering of the harmful spectrum is lighter here than on the Gaming 2.0 pair. For this frame, we're going to hit about 50%, but obviously we're still at a rate that defies all conventional optics pairs, which are not intended for the same use. The Casual 2.0 are very comfortable and particularly light, with a weight of only 20 grams. As light as your skill in fact (sorry, that's wrong you're on top never doubt yourself).
Positives:
- The price, no kidding it's revolutionary
- Play and work unique style
- The comfort of the frame
- The weight
Negatives:
- Not necessarily thought for you if you are a hardcore gamer and/or if you are more sensitive.
5 - Gamma Ray
Next up are Gamma Ray Anti Eye Strain glasses. These ones are the most affordable on the list. And for the price, they offer some basic protection. The frames are lightweight and as good-looking as Captain Price’s beard, making them comfortable to wear.
Since they are so affordable, these gaming glasses aren't the best quality, and also, there's only one size available.
Final Thoughts | Gamer Glasses Help !
So to recap, what gaming glasses do is simple: it protects you from the main dangers of staring at a digital screen too long and by doing so, give you a slight edge while gaming. They are not just blue light blocking glasses: they offer far more protection and comfort. They protect you from digital eye strain, sleepless nights and from the serious long term effects of blue light.
