Gunnar Vertex glasses review - A comfortable and stylish way to reduce eye strain

Modified Jun 08, 2023 13:35 GMT

If you want to reduce eye strain and sleep better, these glasses have helped. — Do Gunnar glasses help reduce eye strain and improve sleep? They did for this writer (Image via Gunnar)

Gunnar Optiks is a company that makes eye-strain-reducing glasses. I recently reviewed the Vertex two-pack, which featured a pair of handy ones. I’m actually already familiar with them and their products, as I reviewed a few pairs of them earlier in my career. The company offers a variety of glasses for both prescription and non-prescription users.

The Gunnar Vertex two-pack came with two different lens styles. One had a deeper amber color. The other was lighter and allowed colors to be seen a bit easier while still reducing the strain from sitting at a monitor all day. But how did it affect my day-to-day?

What are Gunnar Optiks, and do they help gamers?

Not everyone is convinced that Gunnar Optiks falls under the “gaming tech” umbrella, but I think they do. The glasses allow people who spend much time staring at a screen to enjoy less eye irritation, reduced eye strain, and less exposure to blue light. While I’m not an expert on blue light and its effects, I have noticed that a few things have been easier for me.

My sleep has been a bit more enjoyable, and I noticed a reduced amount of eye strain. As a writer and a gamer, I spend a large amount of my time staring at one of three monitors on my desk. Whether working on reviews, writing articles, or writing something for myself in my downtime, I’m always staring at a harsh, bright white light.

My vision is perfectly fine, though I have suffered from migraines since I was a kid. I don’t need glasses to see, so I didn’t require any fancy prescriptions. However, what I did need was a pair of Gunnar glasses that would fit on my head while I wear a headset. Previous pairs had pinched my skull and only exacerbated my problems.

How did I test the Gunnar glasses?

I’ve had the glasses for almost a month now. I wore them nearly all the time while working or even just in the car to see how they would change my day-to-day life.

While writing, I found that staring at the brilliant white light of Google Docs was far less painful, even after several hours. I prefer the darker amber glasses while I’m typing because colors are far less important while I’m putting together content.

However, everywhere else, I’d rather use the lighter-colored Gunnar Vertex. While they still were amber glasses, the orange tint was far less noticeable. In fact, it felt like certain colors - blues and greens in particular - popped out way more than normal.

I recently traveled across the country to preview Black Desert Online’s upcoming expansion as well. This was a perfect time to take a pair with me. While I don’t think these are sunglasses per se, I noticed that there was far less sun glaring down on me while I walked around. Going from dimly lit areas to bright sunlight caused far less frustration.

They were also worn while I was doing the actual preview, and the gorgeous visuals of Black Desert still were clear to me. Honestly, I have slept better after I started wearing them again. This doesn’t mean my whole life has changed, but these little things were noticeably better.

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The more important thing was the improvement in eye strain. There has been far less of that while wearing the Gunnar Optiks. However, there is one minor problem while wearing headphones that I need to address.

It’s a very minor thing, but for me, it drove me crazy. The material the glasses' body is made of would squeak anytime I moved my head. While there’s lots of sound going on, it’s not as noticeable, but in a quiet room? It’s deafening. It’s a minor nitpick, but it was incredibly frustrating when I wanted to focus on something.

Are the Gunnar glasses reasonably priced?

I received the Vertex 2-Pack, featuring the Amber and Amber Max glasses. They came in an attractive red box and also had a pair of sleeves to put them in. The lens tints were 65 and 98, respectively. This is a pair of gaming glasses or sunglasses that retails for $80 USD.

For two pairs of glasses that can be used in various situations, I think this is reasonably priced. In addition, they don’t look like “gamer glasses.” It only features the company logo in silver on the side, which your ears or hair could cover up. Overall, I think the Gunnars I received are well-valued for what they do in reducing blue light intake.

In Conclusion

While not everyone thinks these are important gaming tech, these glasses are doctor recommended. They go a long way to keep your eyes healthy and enduring far less strain, at least in my experience. Most people I know that have used them enjoyed doing so, and this pair is no exception.

I’m not a big fan of the darker amber, personally. Furthermore, some people might not be keen on that amber sheen covering everything they do. The lighter ones do not make colors disappear and are, frankly, among the best glasses I’ve used for work.