As someone who once buttered bread before putting it in a toaster and used to think that hot chocolate was made by boiling milk in a kettle, I’m far from a man of science. Even still, conflicting reports on the benefits of blue-light-blocking glasses means that I’ve always had a hard time believing in the effects they supposedly have on my eyesight, which has kept me staring at computer and phone screens while assuming it was just a myth.
Despite my skepticism, enough people have told me that blue light glasses have helped them prevent headaches and eye strain, two things I suffer from pretty much every day. Naturally, I’ve remained curious about trying them for myself. I can’t count the number of times I’ve hovered over spectacle-filled shopping carts before talking myself out of it and continuing to burn my retinas with that sweet sweet blue light.
Now that I’ve tried outGunnar’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage-themed Intercept glasses, I feel like I’ve been unfair to my eyes for having ignored blue light blockers for so long. Although I’m still not sure about the science behind them, after wearing them pretty consistently when playing games and using computers over the past few weeks, I can say that I’ve noticed a difference.
Naturally, the first thing that stood out to me about the Intercepts was their design, which is sleek, lightweight, and surprisingly comfortable. Besides sunglasses, I’ve never had to wear glasses before (even if I’ve always wanted to for that extra indie rizz) so I assumed that they’d be painful to wear for long periods, but that wasn’t the case here thanks to how light the frames are.
Speaking of the frames, the specific pair that I received from Gunnar areAssassin’s Creed Mirage-themed, which means there’s a similar dark blue and orange pattern on the side alongside the Order’s logo. It’s subtle enough that I didn’t feel too gauche parading them around my flat, and I’d probably wear them outside casually if it wasn’t for the blue-light-blocking lens, which is where the magic happens.
What’s special about blue light glasses is the lens’ yellow tint, which is meant to filter out light coming from screens and, in turn, stop their negative effects. Having never seen a pair in person before, I was shocked to see how yellow they looked from the outside, and even more surprised when I put them on and everything started to look like the inside of a bottle of Corona.
That strange filter and a slight weight on my ears and face took some time to adjust to, but I could see what people had been telling me as soon as I looked at my TV and laptop while using the glasses for something other than taking sick photos of my new gamer drip.
It’s here where the blue-light-blocking glasses start to make sense. The intense white light of Google Doc and flurry of colours from whatever game I played on my TV felt like they’d been toned down significantly and hurt my eyes a lot less even after long periods of use (they’re even helping me bear through writing this article). Although the glasses don’t take away the colour of what you’re viewing, there is a slightly noticeable yellow tint, but it didn’t put me off using them as it does become second nature after some time.
GUNNAR - Blue Light Gaming & Computer Glasses
Although the effects of blue-light-blocking glasses vary from person to person, most report that using them and their filtering yellow lenses helps with eye strain, headaches, and migraines. All very common ailments of being a gamer.
In fact, I was surprised at just how much I have been using the Intercepts. Like I said, I’m new to wearing glasses and often forget, but it’s become second nature for me to put them on whenever I’m at my desk and getting ready to write or play games. The only negative is that taking them off is a harsh reminder of how bright my screens are and how many apps I have in light mode, which is probably a point in Gunnar’s favour.
The only thing that’s a hard sell about the Intercepts is their price. At a minimum of $74.99 for the non-prescription pair, which is what I’ve been using, and $224.99 for prescriptions, it’s a big investment for something that has conflicting reports on whether they work. I’ve found them to be helpful considering how prone my head is to aching and how much my work revolves around screens, but if you’re not in the same boat then it might be too much of a fee to give it a try.
Even after using the Intercepts regularly over the past month or so, I’m still not educated enough to say that blue light glasses absolutely work and are a definitive purchase for anyone working with screens, but I can say that my head hurts less and my eyes aren’t as sore after using them. Whether those demand characteristics or not is a rabbit hole I won’t dive down, but there’s a benefit to even believing that you’re feeling better and that’s been enough for me.
A pair of Assassin’s Creed Mirage Intercept glasses were provided to TheGamer by Gunnar for review.
