Gunnar Tallac blue blocking glasses review

Key Takeaways

Gunnar Tallac blue blocking glasses improve eye comfort and reduce strain from screen time.
Available in various styles, tints, and with prescription options for different budgets.
Positive effects on sleep and overall well-being make them a worthwhile investment for computer users.

We’ve all heard about how screens can be bad for our eyes. Whether it be the days of our parents telling us not to sit so close to the screens, to now when we hear about blue light, there’s always some new reason why staring at a glowing screen all day isn’t good for you. I never doubted that, but didn’t buy into the whole blue light reasoning. It just sounded a little too much like your microwave giving you cancer. After wearing the Gunnar Tallac blue blocking glasses for a week, I can say that I will never go back to working at my computer without them.

My first exposure to Gunnar was years ago when I saw them advertising to gamers around the time Halo 3 was popping off. The selling point then was that the glasses could help improve your aim by keeping your eyes from straining. Since then, the brand has become one of the leaders in the blue light blocking glasses space with tons of designs and models to pick from that aren’t just catered to gamers and nerds. Even if you’re not a gamer, most people working will spend hours on their computer only to relax in front of a TV or scroll their phones. That’s a lot of screen time, and while you might not feel it now, your eyes are suffering. But the benefits of the Gunnar glasses aren’t just a more comfortable viewing experience – the ripples go much further.

Gunnar Tallac

Whether you’re a gamer or just work on a computer for your job, there’s no better investment you can make for your eyes than a pair of Gunnar glasses for all-around health and comfort.

Pros

Massive reduction in eye strain
Improved sleep and mood
Light and comfortable
Tons of options for frames, lenses, and price

Cons

Might not be great for anyone doing very detailed color work

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Price, availability, and specs

Tons of options

Gunnar glasses range from around $45 all the way up to $150 and above depending on the tint, frames, and if you need prescriptions or not through Gunnar’s official website or Amazon. The Tallac model I tested costs $150 for the standard pair with no prescription.

Gunnar Tallac

Brand: Gunnar
Frame Size: 137 mm
Lens Color: Amber

What I liked about the Gunnar Tallac glasses

Easy on the eyes

Gunnar

I don’t wear glasses normally, so my initial concern was that I wouldn’t find a pair comfortable to wear for extended durations of time. The Tallac model not only fits my face perfectly but is light and has no pinch or pain points. It slides on and almost feels weightless to wear. Once they’re on, I never feel the need to fidget or adjust them.

I was astonished at how much my Gunnars improved my comfort working for long hours on a computer.

The big question I imagine anyone has for blue light blocking glasses before trying them is the colored lenses. While not extreme, the lenses are clearly tinted an amber color. However, a clear version with a lower level of tint and protection is an option. Putting them on will initially look a bit off-color, however, it only takes a few minutes for the slight filter to become normal and unnoticeable. I personally do not do any color-intensive work, such as art or color correction, so while I can’t personally speak to how that could impact those who do that kind of work, I can see it being a slight hindrance there.

For day-to-day use, I was astonished at how much my Gunnars improved my comfort working for long hours on a computer. It wasn’t something I could fully appreciate until I took them off to leave the desk for a moment and came back to look with my bare eyes again. That normal white page suddenly felt searing on my eyes until I put my glasses back on. Working at a computer for hours on end as so many out there do, my eyes never felt like they needed a rest or dried out.

The positive effects went beyond just my working hours

Part of the reason I chose the Tallac model to test was because it comes with leather side shields. These are removable so I wasn’t worried about wanting to take them off if I felt my field of view was too narrow, but they ended up becoming one of my favorite features. Just like your eyes stop noticing your nose even though it’s always in view, I eventually stopped seeing the slight edges around my vision and enjoyed the more focused perspective. In addition, no more outside light would seep in from the sides through windows.

The positive effects went beyond just my working hours. The reduced eye strain had a positive impact on my ability to sleep I wasn’t anticipating. I always turn off all my screens an hour or so before bed, but even then I didn’t notice how much built-up damage I was accumulating over the day that kept my eyes irritated when trying to sleep.

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What I didn’t like about the Gunnar Tallac glasses

Perfect for almost everyone

Gunnar

I struggled to think of anything negative I could say about these glasses

I struggled to think of anything negative I could say about these glasses. Any complaints I could imagine, such as not liking the frames, the tint being too extreme, or needing a prescription are all addressed. They come in dozens of styles for men, women, and kids, have special collaboration styles with hit games like Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Assassin’s Creed, and options for lower tints, sunglasses, and prescription lenses. They even come in a wide price range to fit anyone’s budget.

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Should you buy the Gunnar Tallac glasses?

The best investment you can make for your eyes

I never like to make blanket statements, but there are very few situations in which someone who works on a computer couldn’t benefit from a pair of Gunnar glasses. Unless you do very detailed color work and the light tinting is enough to jeopardize your work, I can’t see a reason anyone would find a fault in these glasses.

They’re comfortable, affordable, stylish, but, most importantly, a huge relief for your eyes. I didn’t think my eyes were hurting too much working at a computer, checking my phone, and playing games hours a day, but it wasn’t until I wore my Gunnars for a week that I realized how accustomed to the strain I had become. Now that I’ve gotten used to how much better my eyes feel – and the ripple effects that has on other aspects of my life like mood and sleep, there’s no way I’m going back. If you value your eyes, you owe it to yourself to protect them with some Gunnars.