As the newly appointed social media geek for a whole two companies, I’m on the computer even more than I was as a humble digital project coordinator. Primarily because I had to jump into my new position with both feet and I’m still learning the in’s and out’s of this stuff. So I’m constantly reading ChrisBrogan.com, RobSutton.com, Scott Stratton from UnMarketing.com, and a good variety of authors on ProBlogger.net not to mention I’m still doing the project coordination stuff. As a result (although I wasn’t aware at the time) I’ve had killer headaches everyday for 3+ months with no exaggeration. The only thing that worked, although temporarily, was a good dose of Excedrin Migraine. Reading the bottle of that stuff however was not encouraging as it cautions of prolonged use.

Under protest I went to the family practitioner and was asked about the last time I had my eyes checked. As my mind started to try and recollect that experience the doc said if it was that hard to remember it’s probably been to long. Apparently the theory was eye strain. Being the doctor avoider and super geek that I am, I went home and turned to the internet for research. According to the American Optometric Association 82% of Americans frequently work with a computer or handheld device. Nearly 6 hours per day on the computer alone! The National Safety Management Society reports computer eye strain as the number one US office health complaint for the past three years.

It was then that I stumbled on Gunnar Optiks Digital Performance Eyewear.

I learned that fluorescent lighting and computer monitors are highly shifted towards the blue and green end of the spectrum. If you’ve ever look at a blue LED and noticed a halo around the light it’s because blue light focuses differently on the retina than the rest of the spectrum. Your eyes are straining to try and bring that fuzzy spot into focus, and it just can’t! Gunnar Optiks Eyewear is a way to filter out some of those blues and greens and shift that light to the warmer end of the spectrum, giving your tired eyes a chance to recover. Not only do they filter harsh light, they also reduce glare, helping with eye strain even more. Another really kewl feature is what they call a Micro-Climate which uses it’s highly wrapped configuration to sit close to the face and keep your eyes lubricated by trapping in humidity and blocking out evaporative air currents.

When I first put mine on I could swear they had some sort of minimal magnification to them because everything became so instantly clear. Their are two types of lenses, Amber and Crystal each with a different purpose. I’m about to get both because I’m heavily involved in each function and as I’m writing this I’m beginning to notice my “fan boy” status for Gunnar. The Amber lenses are the most effective for eye fatigue, but as you might imagine they give everything a slight yellowish tent. If you’re not doing any kind of graphic design these are the lenses for you. If however you are a designer you should probably go with the Crystal lenses as they have no tent to what you are seeing on your monitor. They are not quite as effective because they only block polarization glare but any reduction to eye strain is better than none.

Now Gunnar has several collections and styles available for men and women both off the shelf and in prescription form. I elected to go with the Catalyst Edge myself (pictured above). Since I purchase these glasses 2 weeks ago I’ve had NO headaches… not one! I’m not a doctor or anything so I probably can’t say that if you have headaches they will work for you, but I can say I’m convinced this is probably one of the best purchases I’ve made.

Gunnar Optiks Digital Performance Eyewear is available at several locations both online and in retail outlets. If you’re just going to get off the shelf Gunnar’s my recommendation is to go to a retail outlet to see which style you like the best then go home and get them online for a better price. If you are getting the prescription version… well you’re out of luck with the convenience of price shopping in a few seconds via Google. To find a retail location near you you can use this LINK.

As far as Kewl Gadgets go I’m pretty freaken happy with this one!