Eyes on the prize: the case for gaming lenses

September 15, 2023 Siu-Yin Shing

For the past few years, we have been hearing a lot about blue-light filtering lenses. Some swear by them, others think they are just another marketing crusade to trick consumers into thinking they need something they don’t.

 

What if I told you there is a new lens in town, solely for gaming? The UK-based Millmead Optical Group, through its subsidiary Jai Kudo Lenses, has developed a new lens it claims is every gamer’s dream. The XP Pro Gaming Lens aims to provide a superior gaming experience to both amateur and professional gamers by alleviating eye strain and enhancing visual performance, said Jai Kudo Lenses. These lenses allow gamers to be immersed in their games, enjoy sharper vision and react more quickly, the company said. These are no ordinary lenses; the glazing process is not straightforward, and they need to be very precise, said Shaun Bace, national key account manager with Jai Kudo Lenses. “Even for a plano lens, pupillary distance (PD) and height measurements are needed to ensure correct positioning of the lens’ optical centre for the best vision and HTS to ensure enough +0.50 boost.”

 

Whether you are a gamer or not, the size of the industry is staggering. By 2025, the global gaming market is expected to reach US$256.97 billion, with an estimated 3.2 billion people playing – that’s bigger than the film and music industries combined. Big games like Call of Duty, FIFAe World Cup and Fortnite each have dedicated tournaments where gamers play in front of a big screen for hours. There’s big prize money to be won. Running for eight weeks from July, Saudi Arabia’s Gamers8: The Land of Heroes has a combined prize pot of US$45m to be shared between the winners of 15 games.

 

Wow, their eyes must get tired! I thought. Which is where gaming lenses come in.

 

Player One… ready?

 

I was intrigued to try the XP Pro Gaming Lens out, as was my husband Ben, also a keen gamer. I am a big fan of Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch, which requires me to react quickly and makes my eyes tired, so I decided to test the lenses on that. Ben has been trialling them on a range of games, from Call Of Duty Online multiplayer, which requires a ridiculous amount of light-speed reactions, to Uncharted, which has slower pace but requires the player to spot fine details.

 

The author puts her XP Pro Gaming lenses through their paces

 

 

My XP Pro Gaming lenses are plano because I wanted to try them out while wearing my contacts. Since the lens naturally curves, I wanted to see and feel what it was like for a gamer with 20/20 vision – will the lenses be better for my peripheral vision? Ben had his lenses made to his prescription at -0.75D. As standard, the lenses come with 0.50D prescription with a honeycomb coating. This is to help relax the player’s eyes and reduce glare and eye fatigue. The lens itself comes in a slight yellow tint, since this tone absorbs and improves colour contrast on screens and the companies behind them think this will improve reaction times.

 

On paper, the marketing claims make these lenses a must for every gamer. So, after a month of testing, did they live up to expectations?

 

XP Pro FTW

 

As soon as I put them on, I felt my eyes were more at ease. The yellow tint really softens the colour on the screen. After an hour of gaming, I still felt I could carry on and be very accurate. Without them, I would have felt the need to give my eyes a break. On top of that, everything just felt sharper, which helped me notice details and react more quickly.

 

Ben won’t play a game without his gaming specs now! He said they really come into their own when you are playing fast-paced, first-person shooter games such as Call of Duty, where you have to be hyper-aware, ready to react and very accurate. His opinion is that if you are a serious gamer or enjoy fast-paced games, you need them in your life. He also said the screen clarity is phenomenal and because his eyes are less strained, he finds he can play better and be more alert. He does, however, recommend choosing larger glasses for the lenses so your peripheral vision is not impacted.

 

Game face: Ben heeds the Call of Duty

 

 

Holly Robins, dispensing optician at Bird and Fairley Opticians in the UK, said she has been testing the lenses to better advise her patients. The contrast and the clarity are brilliant, she said, adding she can now spot things quicker on screen when gaming compared to her boyfriend, who doesn’t wear them. Robins said the lenses are even good for watching TV in the evening after a long day at work when her eyes are tired.

 

Dispensing gaming relief

 

When it comes to dispensing the XP Pro Gaming Lens, there is no difference to dispensing any other lens, said Robins. “If anything, they may be slightly easier for people with a lower prescription because they’ve got a natural curve to them, so it’s better than dispensing flat lenses.”

 

Being a mum, and with gaming now becoming such a big part of our children’s lives, I asked Jai Kudo’s Bace if the XP Pro Gaming Lens is suitable for children. He said they are, as long as the frame is a good fit and it has been dispensed properly, even if the young gamer doesn’t need a prescription. Remember, even my plano lenses needed my PD and height measurements. XP Pro Gaming Lenses are definitely not something your patient can buy off the shelf. They need an eyecare professional’s expertise to ensure a proper fit to provide the best gaming experience possible.

 

After a month of testing, Ben and I both feel there is a definite place for the XP Pro Gaming Lens for amateur or keen gamers, especially if you enjoy fast-paced games. But can the XP Pro Gaming Lens help gamers play for longer, since their eyes are not working as hard? From our domestic experiment, we agreed they don’t give you a licence to play for hours on end without breaks. The point is not to help gamers to play longer, but to improve and enhance the gaming experience, which they most certainly do!

 

 

Siu-Yin Shing is an eyewear writer born in Hong Kong, now based in the UK, and editor and founder of the frames-focused blog, www.myglassesandme.co.uk