Projectors Reviews, price and comparision

Most of us don't use eyeglasses especially made for computers or gaming. Some of us might wear glasses, but they're general-purpose specs we need to see everything around us. Gunnar Optiks offers a different breed of eyeglasses, specially designed for use with computers and televisions. The company makes some lofty claims about how the glasses can reduce eye strain, improve the computing and gaming experience, and let you look upon your screens with new eyes. Gunnar sent us the $79 (list) PPK Digital Performance Eyewear to try, and while I can't confirm all of the company's claims, I can say that the the PPK is a well-made pair of glasses that indeed can help if your eyes ache under harsh office lights.

Besides PPK, Gunnar Optiks offers over a dozen different frame styles in its "tech" and "creative" lines, both of which share the same amber lenses designed for use with computer and television screens. Gunnar also offers other lens styles for 3D viewing, like the Phenom 3D ($99, 3.5 stars), and more conventional, dark-lens-equipped outdoor glasses. Only three frame styles are available for the 3D lenses, but for indoor and outdoor lenses the frames are effectively mix-and-match.

The build-quality of the frames is the best way to determine if a pair of glasses are well-made, and with this pair, Gunnar offers quality that compares with big-name optic brands like Oakley and Ray-Ban. Both the PPK and the Phenom 3D styles have incredibly light, all-metal frames that feel sturdy without feeling bulky, and they look more like stylish sunglasses than nerdy computer accessories.

The big gimmick here are the lenses, and how they improve the computer and gaming experience with their amber iONik lens tints, fRACTYL lens geometry, diAMIX lens material, and i-Fi lens coatings. The company makes a variety of claims that can't be readily tested, like that the lenses create a microclimate in front of your eyes, which increases humidity, and the lens geometry is precisely tuned to shorter distances for use with computers and televisions. After using the PPK pair for some time, I can say the amber-tinted lenses did reduce the harshness of fluorescent lights and white computer backgrounds (like in Word documents). Their geometry also reduces glare from outside sources. They can even serve as a backup set of sunglasses; they aren't significantly darker than clear lenses, they're yellow, actually. But the coating gives them 100-percent protection against UVA and UVB light.

While the lens coating and tinting softens harsh lighting and reduces glare, it doesn't do anything for smudges. The lenses are magnets for smears, thumbprints, and stains, and while Gunnar includes a microfiber carrying bag for cleaning, you're going to want to invest in a screen-cleaning spray to keep the lenses clear.

As a near-sighted glasses wearer, I'm used to putting on glasses to see things far away, and taking them off when using computers. It took a few hours to get used to the glasses, but it seemed more because my eyes were used to further distances becoming clearer and closer distances becoming blurrier. After a while with the Gunnars, however, they really grew on me. While they're certainly not vital for use with computers, the tint reduced my eye strain and made the PCMag Lab's stark white fluorescent lights warmer and easier to work under.

Gunnar's Indoor Digital Performance Eyewear make working in front of a computer and playing video games a slightly more pleasant experience, but they're not necessarily worth the $80 price tag. If you find yourself under white fluorescent blubs and tapping away at a computer for hours on end (and especially if you're prone to light-based headaches), you might want to consider a pair. Just don't expect them to work the endless miracles Gunnar claims. They're well-made, tinted glasses that soften and warm light. Nothing more.