What Are the Best Glasses for Gaming?


Gaming glasses get hyped these days. There are a lot of questions when it comes to them. Here in this article, you will get the information about the gaming glasses I have tested and what I would recommend.

A lot of companies specialized in the field of gaming glasses. The best known out there are:

  • Gunnar glasses
  • Novacel (frag lens)
  • Oakley (Prizm gaming)

They all work by blocking the blue light. Some of the lenses block more blue light and some less. Those gaming glasses with a more dominant tint block more of the blue light that surrounds you. The lighter tints usually start with a yellow tint and as they get more intense in blocking blue light they start to show a rose or brown tint.

In the picture below you can see me wearing the more intense and the lighter tinted gaming glasses. In our shop and while gaming me and my colleagues preferred the darker rose tint. Frankly spoken I did not like the looks at all with the darker rose tint but they feel great.

Especially when it came to situations in which more blue light was shown on the display those lenses gave me and my colleagues a more relaxed visual experience looking at the screen. The gaming glasses you can see on the left just had a minimal yellow tint to them which is extremely similar to normal blue-blocking glasses whether they block blue light with a filter in the material or by reflecting it on the lens surface due to the coating.

It becomes quickly obvious to you which glasses work best for you. Just test the different filters available. Gunnar glasses for example 5 lens options, Novacel has 2 and Oakley has one option available.

Do Gaming Glasses Actually Help?

Gaming glasses are designed to help to keep your eyes relaxed and by providing great contrast while blocking the blue light. First frankly spoken I was very skeptical about those glasses but wearing them for a couple of hours made a difference to me. The effect to me as I experienced less eye strain. In regards to the enhanced contrast if you experience it or not is very much dependent on what games you play.

When the screen shines really blue, gaming glasses will give you a better contrast as the perceived light spectrum gets changed more. When the scene in the game has hardly blue colors you can not expect to see much of a difference compared to normal glasses. Personally, I experience migraines from time to time and first I thought those lenses were a gimmick but I liked them, my colleagues liked them as well and this case study here also showed an improvement

In this case study, two young adolescents experienced concussion followed by visually sensitive migraine and more. Both patients were advised to obtain computer gaming glasses to use throughout the day. The female patient was diligent in her use of the glasses, with marked lessening of symptoms. The male patient was less accepting of the glasses but did report lessening of symptoms when using the glasses.

Both adolescent athletes responded well to the filtering of visual stimuli by off-the-shelf computer gaming glasses. Interestingly the darker pink gaming glasses look surprisingly similar to the FL-41 filters which are actually produced to help with migraines. Studies showed the positive effects for years. Now gamers can also benefit from reducing the stress on their eyes.

Especially when you are sensitive to light in general or fluorescent artificial light the right gaming glasses can help you out by reducing the high energy visible light. This light will not harm your eyes but it might lead to increased eye strain.

Can I Wear Gaming Glasses Outside?

You can wear gaming glasses outside. The brands listed below have 100% UV protection. Depending on the type of prescription when the lens power is adjusted to match the distance between your eyes and your display you may experience blurry vision while using them outside. However, with most gaming glasses the prescription chosen by the eye care professional will work perfectly indoors and outdoors.

How Much Blue Light Do Gaming Glasses Block?

Gaming glasses are not standardized when to comes to blocking the blue light. Most of them block 40-50% of blue light. Those gaming glasses have a less dominant tint. If a lot more blue-blocking is required then the tint of the lens will look extreme yellow or orange. Then up to 100% of blue light gets blocked.

A Tip Form an Eye Care Professional About Gaming Glasses

When your eyes have refractive errors like hyperopia, myopia, or astigmatism this should be corrected first. Do not fall into the trap of focusing on having the perfect gaming glasses filter while one eye is lacking support of the correct prescription. This would make no sense.

So before you buy those glasses make sure to visit an eye care professional near you to get the correct prescription first. Always wear your prescription in combination with the gaming filters. Otherwise, you are cutting corners and the potential of your gaming glasses will be minimized.

Although I really did not like how the pink lenses looked I liked the effect. So do not disguise them when you have not tried them on. I also wore gaming glasses for normal computer work and for the most part they worked great. But you can not use them during very color-sensitive work. This means when you are a graphic designer gaming glasses would shift everything you see more towards the warmer more yellow part of the light spectrum.

If you do not want to buy a second pair of glasses you can go with a filter. Some of them are available at optical shops or online. This would be the least expensive option and Gunnar glasses have a variety of them available. You can just simply slide them on your existing frame and voila. Now you have gaming glasses.

I wish you a great day.

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