Are Gaming Glasses Worth It?
The gaming market is huge, and goes far beyond computers, consoles, screens and headsets. In this market, we can find the most varied products, including the so-called "gaming glasses".
These glasses, with which manufacturers promise that we will experience less visual fatigue, especially during very long gaming sessions, are becoming more and more popular amongst gamers.
But is it worth it? What kind of technology do they use? We'll see what this product consists of and if it really helps to reduce the visual fatigue of screen users.
How do Gaming Glasses work?
Displays in general, whether it's a monitor or a laptop, generate images using backlighting. Some of this light they generate is a form of ultraviolet light called "blue light", and while it is commonly found in sunlight, it is generated much more intensely on screens.
This blue light has been shown to have harmful effects on the vision of the human eye and can cause very serious damage.
This blue light has the particularity to directly affect the cells of the macula of the eye, the tissue located at the bottom of the eyeball and sensitive to light. The downside is that, unlike the retina, the macula does not regenerate, which means that any damage we might suffer there would be irreversible.
Just as there are many monitors that incorporate "Low Blue Light" technology, gaming glasses incorporate a series of filters to attenuate this blue light radiation, greatly reducing the damage to our eyes and, with that, reducing visual fatigue, preventing dryness and even delaying AMD (age-related eye degeneration).
According to the manufacturers of gaming glasses, in addition to reducing the exposure of the eyes to blue light, these "devices" help to better focus small objects on the screen, which forces us to tire our eyes less.
Images on a screen do not have the sharp contrast between objects unlike real life, and therefore watching a screen for a long time makes it more difficult for the eyes to distinguish objects, causing eye strain and other symptoms such as itching, fatigue, headaches and blurred vision.
Melatonin is a sleep hormone responsible for telling the body it's time to sleep. Blue light delays the production of this sleep-inducing hormone, increasing alertness and resetting the circadian rhythm (the body's internal clock) to a later time; in other words, blue light also causes insomnia in one way or another.
Pros & Cons of Gaming Glasses
The main benefit of using gaming glasses is that they help reduce glare and blue light strain, reduce eye strain and the symptoms it generates, and reduce the possibility of visual problems.
These glasses usually generate a yellow tint in vision, which improves image sharpness, reduces glare and helps you see colors more easily.
This is especially useful in competitive first-person shooter games because it literally helps you aim better.
Another benefit of gaming glasses is that they filter out glare. All monitors, even those with a matte screen, have reflections from things in the surrounding area (like a lamp, ceiling light, window, etc.). These yellow lenses filter out these reflections and make it less work for the eye to focus, also improving concentration.
Finally, the third advantage of this product is that it reduces glare quite a bit, as we said.
The reflection from images that are too bright produces a lot of eye strain, which increases fatigue and dries out the eyes. Wearing appropriate glasses will reduce the strain of lights while you play, helping to reduce dryness and the propensity for headaches.
Unfortunately, not all of them are benefits, and while there aren't too many drawbacks, there are a few that stand out.
The first is that like everything else, you'll need some time to adjust; Whether it's because you're not comfortable with them because you're not used to them, or you're having trouble playing the same performance you did without glasses, it takes time for your body and eyes to get used to them.
It's also important to mention that, obviously, you can only wear one pair of glasses at a time, so if you're a user who wears prescription glasses, you won't normally be able to use gaming glasses "over" the ones you already have (if you wear contacts, this shouldn't be a problem, of course).
Another disadvantage of this type of product is its price, a barrier for many people in many products.
The average price of quality gaming glasses is about $50, and although there are much cheaper models, we do not recommend them in any case because, remember, what is at stake is the health of your eyes and you should not use glasses made with cheap materials that could even be counterproductive.
Here are the pros of wearing Gaming Glasses:
- Improves Image Sharpness
- Improve Concentration
- Reduces Glare
- Reduces Eye Strain
- Helps against Headaches
- Helps to See Colors More Easily
Is It Worth Getting Gaming Glasses
The short answer is usually yes, gaming glasses are worth it, but it really depends on your situation and the type of gamer you are.
If you are a very competitive gamer who spends many hours in front of the screen, this is definitely a product you should consider, as spending so many hours looking at the monitor can cause serious visual problems.
It is worth taking steps to avoid or at least mitigate these problems, regardless of the fact that in many cases you have to invest a lot of money.
Now, if you are a casual gamer and do not play everyday, and sometimes not for an entire week, it is likely that gaming glasses are not worth the investment.
It's important to note that no matter what type of gamer you are, once you get used to playing them, you'll have a distinct advantage over other gamers due to the higher color contrast.
In that sense, even if you are a casual player, it would be worth it.