The Unwired Medic

Teaching EMS providers & other public safety pros about using mobile tech to improve their practice, patient care, continuing education, scene safety, general entertainment, & productivity.

Product Review: GUNNAR Emissary Premium Rx Glasses

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My desk on a good day

My desk on a good day.

Blue Light Is Harmful!

I’ve minced no words about it. I have not been ambiguous about the subject. Blue light is damaging your vision, wrecking your sleep patterns, and potentially contributing to many other health issues, and you may not even be aware of it!

In the last two years, a host of assorted health issues has been experienced by me, but it started with headaches. I had been migraine-free for three years. Three glorious years. Then like driving into a brick wall at 100MPH, BLAM! A migraine. Not just any migraine, mind you, but an 18-day duration migraine, beating my record of 4-days by leaps and bounds.

I wondered if my vision might have been contributing to my headaches. I had been wearing prescription glasses for almost a year and I was due for the annual eye exam. After a significant change in my prescription, I decided I wasn’t just going for replacements. I was going to finally buy the GUNNAR glasses I had seen at a couple previous CES (Consumer Electronics Show) conferences and was pretty impressed by what I learned and saw. Not only did I plunge into the depths of spending on high-end glasses, I went for the Premium Prescription (Premium Rx) and that set me back three hundred twenty-nine bones.

GUNNAR Emissary Glasses - Amber Lenses

GUNNAR Emissary Glasses – Amber Lenses

Believe me, it was worth every penny. My full-time gig is in IT for our region’s only trauma center.  I have 2 computers with 5 monitors on my desk, plus four 42″ wall displays giving me all the critical stats for our data center and enterprise backup operations. When I’m not there, I’m going to online college at WGU, or watching a bit of TV or movies with the family, or surfing the web and social media on my phone, and occasionally playing a video game. I’m reviewing products and writing blog articles. I’m on the patient care or education end of things when I’m not doing these other things, so I’m still in front of ePCR’s and projectors with PowerPoints. All of this takes its toll on Circadian Rhythms. It dries out your eyes. It contributes to tension headaches. It can do much worse.

Why the Premium Rx?

I knew I wanted a high-quality set of glasses, so I went for the Premium Rx, which are a bit more expensive than the standard Rx glasses, because these are computer ground precision lenses, and they are set precisely for the distance of a standard computer screen with tolerances the human eye can’t even detect. This mattered to me because I had only been wearing prescription glasses for a year. I was the last holdout in the family, with all of my family having gotten their glasses by 18, and I made it to 39. Even with this, the script changed considerably from the previous set a year earlier. I had to take a couple weeks to get used to walking with them. Now I can walk with them and it barely affects me. I still prefer to not use them unless I am reading fine print or a monitor.

How bad is the color shift?

Me, My GUNNAR Emissary's, and The Home Office

Me, My GUNNAR Emissary’s, and The Home Office

In addition to my IT and EMS talents, I occasionally dabble in graphic design and semi-pro photography. I’ll say that is when I break out the old standby’s and don’t do any color intensive work in my GUNNAR Emissary glasses. Otherwise, I can honestly say that in an office or indoor environment, I don’t even notice the color shift at all. When outdoors, they make everything brighter. I also work around a lot of LED lights that are green or amber, depending on the current system state. I have no problems distinguishing them. If the thought of the color shift bothers you, then GUNNAR has a “Crystalline Lens” option, which, naturally, doesn’t block as much of the blue light as the amber lenses. New this year, GUNNAR is also offering a Progressive Lens option, which for me will be great when I get a new set, since the eye doc says that’s no more than 3 years away.

What else sets these guys apart from other computer or gaming glasses?

That’s a fair question and it isn’t hard to answer. Let’s start with the patented technology they use. It’s more than a tint, it’s a filter. How about the double-sided anti-glare coatings? Even my expensive Oakley wrap-around sunglasses and Oakley prescription glasses reflected my own eye back onto the inside of the lens. Not a problem with the GUNNAR. In my latest office area, I have large fluorescent light fixtures shining down and behind me, and every other pair of glasses that I have worn has a huge reflection problem. How about the ultra-precise, computer controlled, prescription grind that no one else is offering? They have many styles to choose from, including WoW, Razer, and other co-op branded sets, each with a unique and styled appearance that sets them apart as the leader in the computer and gaming vision industry. If you want the science to back these claims up, they offer links on their site, and I offer them here on The Unwired Medic’s blog and social media pages.

The bottom line:

These glasses are just awesome. They are stylish, custom, and every bit of what they say they are. They are even endorsed by professional gamers around the world. Check them out on social media and on their website at https://gunnar.com. Let them know that The Unwired Medic from the  #GUNNAR1337 () sent you!

Disclaimer: The GUNNAR T-Shirt was a free gift from GUNNAR for being accepted as a brand ambassador. The GUNNAR Emissary Premium Rx glasses were paid for in full by me.

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