Tell me more ×
Arqade is a question and answer site for passionate videogamers on all platforms. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 9 down vote favorite
3

I wore glasses to correct nearsightedness for over 20 years before having LASIK surgery a few years ago. I've loved the freedom of not having to wear corrective lenses all the time. That being said, due to the fact that glasses did the work for me, my eyes had never really had to work the muscles responsible for focusing much. Thus since having LASIK surgery, I've noticed that after an extended period of time concentrating on the computer screen with only small breaks that I would end up with headaches focused around my eyes. I spoke to my eye doctor about that and he prescribed a pair of "computer glasses" which were just normal reading glasses that had a minimal (.5 or less if I remember correctly) magnification so that when my eyes got tired I could wear them and reduce the strain on my eyes.

With the context set, I am looking at something that might work a bit better for both fatigue associated with computer usage primarily when gaming. I have heard pretty good reviews for glasses by Gunar Optiks (primarily the AMbeR series). Ars Technica had a decent review of them.

I am curious though if anyone here has used glasses such as those and what their experience was - did it reduce fatigue? Did it add or take away from the gaming experience?

share|improve this question
1  
dude i would be careful on these chat rooms like this because some companies hire people to post good reviews on chat rooms like this . i would just take their comments with a grain of salt . – user19499 Feb 6 '12 at 0:57
Indeed - which is why I most definitely did not base my decision to try them out on a response here. But the responses here do factor in the decision, just do not define it alone. – runlevelsix Feb 7 '12 at 21:01

2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

These glasses are great. They're light, and they really do work. Some colours aren't as bright/clear but it makes gaming marathons easier on the eyes. The lenses make it easier to read text due to magnification.

Hope I've helped.

share|improve this answer
I had a few friends tell me the same, so I went and bought a pair myself. They are amazingly light (much more so than the glasses I was using previously) and they work very well for gaming and working when spending hours at a time staring at a computer screen. – runlevelsix Jul 15 '10 at 19:23
How long are the sessions we are talking about? – ver Jan 30 '12 at 7:45
For me, gaming sessions (raiding in MMORPGs) usually last about 4-5 hours. Work sessions last up to 9 hours. – runlevelsix Jan 30 '12 at 20:35
up vote 4 down vote

These are almost certainly useless, and may even be worse than useless. Two of the major "selling" points from the Steelseries Scope site - which are very similar to the Gunnar glasses you mention - jump out at me:

I-AMP® LENSES
Enhance the properties of the human eye and its interaction with digital devices

This is pure marketing speak and therefore meaningless.

SHARPEN SIGHT
Enhance details for sharper, clearer vision

This suggests to me that the lenses are slightly magnifying. If you don't need glasses this could end up actually causing eye-strain and headaches instead of preventing them.

Steer well clear.

The way to minimize eye strain is to take frequent breaks and change your focus at regular intervals. So pause the game, get up and stare out of the window for a couple of minutes. It will do your eyes far more good than these glasses.

share|improve this answer
To reduce eye strain when reading a good idea is to look at the skyline for a bit every once and again. I'm sure similiar principals apply. Not to mention, the skyline is beautiful and you should be looking at it anyway. – Emerica. Apr 25 '12 at 14:05

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.