“The comfort these glasses bring when looking at the screen has been nothing less than revolutionary for me.”
In recent months I have begun to suffer with eye strain when reading on a computer. I had been finding that, although my eyesight is in fact very good, I simply could not read through paragraphs of text without getting lost. In some cases, my left eye would even begin to twitch after extended periods in front of the screen. Although this hadn’t affected me when gaming, as yet, I could tell that I was going to have to do something about the problem, as it seemed to be becoming more frequent. That I is when I came across Gunnar’s Optics range.
Gunnar specialise in creating eyewear designed to reduce eye strain when spending long periods in front of a computer screen. These are designed to be stylish, effective solutions for people suffering from problems such as my own. In the case of the Razer FPS edition glasses which I have purchased, Gunnar have touched base with the gaming peripheral giants at Razer to create a range directly aimed at gamers. This is a crucial time to note that these glasses are neither gimmicky nor ‘edgy’ as some readers might expect. In fact, Razer’s input has produced a slick, streamlined and fashionable piece of eyewear, constructed in the form of an aluminium-magnesium frame, but the FPS edition glasses are much more than just good looking.
Together, Razer and Gunnar have considered every aspect that a gamer might want to see from eyewear of this kind. We have already covered the fact that these glasses look sharp, but if you don’t want to take my word for it then check out the pictures in this review. The frame is also incredibly lightweight, causing little-to-no discomfort after several long hours of wearing them. It should be noted that this is coming from someone who is not used to wearing corrective glasses too, making this point particularly prominent. The adjustable nose pads, alongside hidden springs allowing for exceptional give in the hinges, allow for the perfect fit, no matter what the shape of your face may be. I was fortunate that my glasses suited my particularly facial features perfectly on arrival, but did play with the mounting to see just how easy adjustments could be. My analysis was that this is very easy indeed, meaning I was able to reset the glasses to the perfect fit for me in no time at all.
The lenses are large and their framing delicate, meaning there is almost no obstruction to vision during use. I game using an ultrawide screen, and I have no problem at all enjoying my wide, panoramic field of view. For gamers, this will be particularly important. There is a slight magnification to the lenses which may merit mixed responses from users, but personally I found this either helpful or unnoticeable the majority of the time. Equally important however is their comfort and ease of use alongside a headset. This is something which the marketing for the Razer FPS edition glasses from Gunnar claims to have been covered, however my own experience thus far has been mixed. Certainly, having the glasses on with headphones does make a difference. I wouldn’t necessarily describe this as discomfort as much as I find the feeling unusual. It is as if I cannot get the glasses and headphones to sit quite right together at the same time. For some, less patient gamers, this adjustment period may be off-putting.
Generally, I have found the glasses to be resoundingly effective. No, I won’t be going to the rooftops to shout that I am cured to the people below, but there has been a significant improvement in my eye strain problems. More astounding to me was the fact that I noticed this difference immediately. The technical specifications for the glasses claim to block out 100% of UV light and 65% of blue light, and boy does that make a difference. Combine this with the glasses’ anti-glare coating and all bases have been covered. Taking the glasses off after use leaves the world looking oddly blue for a brief adjustment period. The comfort these glasses bring when looking at the screen has been nothing less than revolutionary for me. The only other problem I have found with them is that sometimes, with light behind me, I can see a reflection of my own eyes in the lenses. This is infrequent, and after a period it is also easy to ignore. To begin with, however, it is a distraction.
The final point to comment on with the Razer FPS edition Gunnar Optics glasses is their presentation upon arrival. A very swish looking box displays the glasses to the would-be user in all their glory, offering a good first impression. What is in the box, however, was mildly disappointing. A lightly stylised pouch bearing the Gunnar and Razer emblems is all that is offered for you to look after what is a fairly pricey bit of kit (£69.99 at the time of writing). Nice as this is, a hard case and a cleaning cloth seemed like the least that the two companies could offer to users in order to adequately protect their new eyewear when not in use. Nevertheless, I rectified this problem myself for just shy of £10, and have been perfectly satisfied ever since.
Despite a few criticisms having been made throughout this review, I absolutely recommend the Razer FPS edition Gunnar Optics eyewear to everyone. Gamers and general screen-users alike can easily benefit from the optical support these glasses provide. Not only do they offer extremely positive and noticeable benefits from the off, but they look good doing it too. Comfortable, effective and stylish; you can’t ask for much more. Unless that thing is some protection and care accessories. There, you might have a point.
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