GUNNAR Optiks

Overview

GUNNAR Optiks (Carlsbad, CA, founded 2007) is the veteran gaming and computer eyewear brand in this category. Its stand-out trait for a skeptical buyer is transparency: GUNNAR publishes specific blocking percentages at 450 nm for each lens, rather than vague “blocks blue light” copy.

The lens range (with the actual numbers)

Per GUNNAR’s published GBLF figures at 450 nm:

• Clear Pro — 20%
• Clear — 35%
• Amber — 65%
• Sun — 90%
• Amber Max — 98%

That spread lets you match the lens to the job: a near-clear lens for daytime screen work, or a high-blocking amber for evening. We report these as GUNNAR’s stated figures; we haven’t verified them on the bench.

GUNNAR also offers 100+ frames, including wrap-style gaming designs and licensed collaborations (Call of Duty, Cyberpunk 2077, World of Warcraft and others), plus prescription support and US manufacturing.

The evidence, honestly

GUNNAR is mainly a daytime/screen brand, so the relevant evidence is the eye-strain literature — and the 2023 Cochrane review found blue-light lenses unlikely to reduce digital eye strain, while the AAO attributes screen discomfort mostly to blink rate and focusing fatigue, not blue light. We won’t repeat “clinically proven” — GUNNAR’s early company-funded study was not replicated by a 2008 independent follow-up — or its internal “96% reported easing of eye strain” survey as established fact. The high-blocking Amber Max has a circadian rationale for evening use, but GUNNAR isn’t designed as a pre-sleep night-lens system the way Swanwick’s Sleep or TrueDark’s Twilights are.

These are consumer eyewear, not a medical device.

Where it fits

• Consider GUNNAR if you want daytime gaming/computer glasses, value published blocking specs, or want a specific licensed frame — and you treat the eye-strain claims as unproven.
• Look at a dedicated night lens instead if your goal is pre-sleep circadian support (Swanwick Sleep, TrueDark Twilights, BON CHARGE amber/red).

Verdict: Not yet tested

We haven’t measured GUNNAR’s lenses, so no recommendation yet — but the published per-lens figures make it the easiest brand in the category to evaluate on spec, and the Amber Max is a legitimately high blocker if you want one for the evening.

How we’ll assess it

If we test it, we’ll measure transmission at 450 nm to check the published GBLF figures and compare amber options against the night-lens brands. See our methodology.

Sources

• Singh S, et al. Blue-light filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023 (17 RCTs).
• American Academy of Ophthalmology. Are Blue Light-Blocking Glasses Worth It?

Changelog

• 2026-06-16: Initial listing. Not yet tested; reported the 450 nm blocking figures as GUNNAR’s stated specs and flagged the unreplicated company study.
• 2026-06-30: Linked the Cochrane and AAO evidence inline and added a Sources section.