GUNNAR Optiks Introduces Ojai Vision Recovery System, Expanding Its Mission From Digital Eye Protection to Post-Screen Recovery
By Chris Jimenez
As a reformed World of Warcraft addict, Gunnar Optiks is a brand that has hovered in my periphery for decades. “Glasses for gamers” was the long and short of it; I had a vague notion that they somehow protected one’s eyes from screen glare in a manner analogous to sunglasses blocking the painful light of the sun. I had chalked them up as a curiosity, perhaps something bought only by “pro gamers” (and those who aspired to be pro’s, of course) to squeeze out the last bit of performance in a tight race, but not something for me; at the time I was perfectly comfortable raw-dogging my screen and bearing the bloodshot consequences.
A decade hence, and I began to understand the true appeal of Gunnar’s glasses. It was one thing to stare at the backside of an elf slaughtering goblin after goblin into the wee hours of the morning for fun, but as I grew into an adult chained to a computer screen for my sustenance, suddenly the idea of glasses that protect one's eyes from glare doesn't seem so ridiculous. Imagine my surprise when I was contacted by Gunnar and offered to try their newest product, the Gunnar Optiks Ojai. Ojai isn’t a pair of glasses, if anything it resembles the opposite, resembling a high-tech blindfold, and functionally it’s almost like a massage-chair that fits right on your face. If Gunnar’s traditional glasses are designed to protect one from eyestrain, the Ojai cures it. If you’ve ever had an eye or face massage at a salon, the Ojai uses the same principles; it uses a combination of heat, vibration and air compression massage technology to rub the muscles and sinuses around the eyes to clear lactic acid and promote recovery. Add in speakers to play either pre-recorded birdsong or the user’s choice of music over Bluetooth, and the Ojai is able to practically pull the user out of reality for ten minutes at a time to wring the stress out of their face.
Many brands use “recovery" as a buzzword, but until I used the Ojai I never realized I even needed to recover from screen-based work. So many products on the market seem only to elicit the question "who asked for this?”; the Gunnar Optiks Ojai is the first product to surprise me by solving a problem I did not even know I had. The Ojai has already integrated itself into my daily routine; work starts with coffee and it ends with a face massage.
The Gunnar Optiks Ojai retails for $99 from GUNNAR.com and select retail partners. From now until October 22nd, Gunnar Optiks’ Fallout collection of glasses is also 33% off, featuring retro-futuristic styles that fit our pre apocalyptic wasteland as well as they do its bombed out hellscape.
Chris Jimenez is a free lance reviewer who covers gaming and life style.
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