| SteelSeries Desmo Digital Eyewear |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Accessories | |
| Written by Austin Downing | |
| Sunday, 04 December 2011 | |
SteelSeries DESMO Digital Eyewear
Manufacturer: SteelSeries Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by SteelSeries. For those of us in the field of technology eyestrain is a constant threat to our ability to work. Whether it is headaches, dry eyes, or just general discomfort, eyestrain is the bane of tech people everywhere. Further exacerbating the problem, the same people who work on computers all day may enjoy relaxing by playing games on computers also. Here to help combat eyestrain is SteelSeries with its DESMO line of digital eyewear co-created with Gunnar to help reduce eye fatigue. During the length of this article, Benchmark Reviews will evaluate the SteelSeries DESMO and their effect on eyestrain and fatigue. Being blessed with 20/20 vision made it so that for many years I laughed at the thought of needing to wear glasses before my late 40's. This thought process has changed in the last four years as I have made it through college for a dual major in computer networking and network security, which combined with my love for computer gaming, and now working for Benchmark Reviews has increased my time spent on the computer greatly. The long hours on computers have only exacerbated the chronic migraines that I suffer from and although I love both my job at Benchmark Reviews, and my work as a student it can making either of these tasks tedious and unenjoyably due to the eyestrain that long continuous hours at a computer can cause. Working with Gunnar Optiks, SteelSeries had created an answer to the problem in the form of the SteelSeries DESMO digital eyewear.
The DESMO is designed to help reduce computer related eyestrain, helping workers be more efficient during long work days and gamers frag harder during long gaming session. The DESMO helps improve contrast, detail, and resolution through a combination of factors including of a slight magnification factor, a "microclimate" to help increase the moisture levels of the wearer's eyes, an anti-glare coating to help filter out some of the particularly harsh artificial light, and lastly the yellow lenses that shifts the colors to a warmer less energetic part of the spectrum. So lets us move forward to evaluate and decide if the DESMO work as advertised or if this is just fashion accessory for gamers. SteelSeries DESMO Features
Closer Look: SteelSeries DESMOSince the SteelSeries DESMO are designed to be worn during both work and play, it is conceivable that users will be wearing their DESMO in the view of the public. This means that SteelSeries needs to design a product that not only helps reduced eyestrain but that will also be fashionable enough to be worn in public.
The SteelSeries DESMO with its combination of tint and design mean that they could be home on Bono's face. For some like myself they may not mind this (I listen to U2 frequently when working), but for others this may be a turn off. The large area that the polymer lenses cover though do help create a nice uniform warm shift in the color spectrum and helps hold moisture near the wearers eyes through the ocular "cap" effect that they create.
From the right the curvature of the DESMO's lenses becomes apparent. This curvature is key to helping with the "microclimate" design which helps prevents the wearer's eyes from drying out.
On each side of the DESMO is the minimal frame that supports the lenses, the space frame design keeps the DESMO frame nice and light while at the same time giving them the strength needed to properly hold the rather large lenses on the wearers face. The orange plastic covers used also ensure that the DESMO is comfortable even when worn for long periods. In addition, it is possible to wear over the ear headphones on top of the DESMO without it causing discomfort.
From the rear the large nose pads are apparent. These pads help keep the DESMO comfortable on a user's face even after being worn during an eight hour work day or a two hour gaming session. SteelSeries DESMO Testing & Experience
As a point of comparison I personally own a pair of Gunnar Edge Digital Eyewear whose experience with will help me gauge the effectiveness of the SteelSeries DESMO. My first comment when comparing the two is that the Gunnar Edge is far more practical to wear outside of your home because they look like tinted glasses. The larger size of the DESMO are designed to help create the ocular caps that help create a "micro-climate" between the wearer's eyes and the outside world. This "micro-climate" is designed to help keep the wearers eyes moisturized which add yet another level to preventing eye strain while working on computers.
Although Gunnar uses a dizzying array of marketing terms such as diAMIX, fRACTYL, i-FI, iONIK, and AMBeR in their literature describing their glasses, they all add to a more comfortable experience when long hours of computer use are required. The diAMIX lens material helps create a strong, optically pure lens that can both stand up to the day-to-day abuse that glasses can take and provide the wearer with the best possible visual clarity. The fRACTYL lens geometry is designed to give a +0.2 diopter designed for digital screens that helps increase the fine detail on computer screens allowing for the wearer to have a more natural viewing experience. The i-FI coating helps block out the harsh reflecting artificial light that can be found in many places of work, while at the same time iONIK lens tint helps block out some of the more intense high-energy parts of the visible spectrum and at the same time increasing contrast. 
All of this marketing speak, and technology mean nothing if the SteelSeries DESMO do not work as advertised. Thankfully they do, and as a full time student studying computer network and network security, while working for Benchmark Reviews, and as a lab tech for my school I appreciate that, as on an average day I spend at least 8-10 hours on a computer doing various work. Although I am passionate about both computer networking and my job here at Benchmark Reviews as a sufferer of chronic migraines I worry about eye strain as it can be a trigger and can bring my ability to work to a halt. Thankfully, I have found that both the SteelSeries DESMO and the Gunnar Edge help to varying degrees. Although the Gunnar Edge are much more stylish, due to the way they sit on my face I found myself frequently readjusting them. This is because although ideally you would want them sitting close to your face to get the "micro-climate" effect my long eyelashes would constantly be brushing into them which can be very annoying. This made wearing the Edge tedious at times, but with the DESMO the large size of the lenses meant that I did not need to wear them as close to my face to get the added benefits. At the same time the larger lenses helped make for a uniform look at the world were the smaller designs would cause me to have areas that were outside of the range of the lenses, which could be distracting. The slight magnification does help when reading or writing large amounts of text, but I find more benefit at least for myself comes from the shift in the color spectrum, due the increase in contrast and the warmer colors, which help create a more enjoyable work environment. Although I have focused on my work environment in a gaming environment the DESMO can help the wearer perform at their best for longer by keeping fatigue down and increasing contrast, which may make finding their opponents easier. Digital Eyewear Final ThoughtsThe SteelSeries DESMO digital eyewear provided the comfort needed for extended time looking at a digital screen. The magnification added although only slight helps with reading the rather small font that can be found on many of today's 1200p screens. At the same time the increased contrast, warmer colors, and reduced glare that the lenses and their coating provide helps create a less irritating work environment for the wearer's eyes. Although the DESMO's design makes it a very effective in all three of these areas the downside is that, the wearer may not want to be caught in public wearing the DESMO. Personally, it never stopped me from wearing them although I did get some strange looks. Overall, the SteelSeries DESMO worked fantastically and to family and friends who work on computers day in and day out I would easily recommend them to help with computer related eyestrain.
SteelSeries DESMO ConclusionWhile the DESMO Digital Eyewear do work well and do indeed reduce eyestrain, it most likely will not completely remove Still it helps minimize the amount created when spending many long hours on digital screens, with harsh artificial light, and tiny text. Helping to relieve some of that strain can make it so that at the end of the day, your eye hurt less, and the wearer can feel a little less fatigued. Appearance is not one of the strongest points for the DESMO. This is because in order to get the best possible ocular "cap" effect the lenses need to be as big as possible. Their size helps them trap as much moisture as they can between them and the wearers eyes helping keep the wearers eyes hydrated which in itself will help with eye strain quite a bit. Unfortunately, this come with having glasses that looks more as if they belong on Bono than in the work place. Because of the polymer used for the lenses, the DESMO has a surprising amount of strength for their lightweight design, which is a benefit since the DESMO may be worn eight plus hours a day. Gunnar also backs the DESMO with a one year warranty should something go wrong with them. Since the SteelSeries DESMO are designed to be used by gamers and workers alike, it is important that they are ready to be used in a multitude of environments. Outside of work the SteelSeries DESMO are designed to still be comfortable even when worn with a headset or over the ear headphones, an important factor to those who play games competitively or listen to music when they work. Other features such as the higher contrast ratio or minor magnification can help in both the work place and when gaming. The higher contrast will help making enemies stand out more against the background, while at work the higher contrast ratio means that the eye do not need to work as hard to discern different areas of the screen. The slight magnification combined with the increased contrast ration further help with small text, and helps make a crosshairs more visible. At $99.99 (Amazon) the SteelSeries DESMO is an expensive niche product at the moment but a product that I believe will become more important in the future as more jobs revolve around working on digital screens. Because the eyes are so important, I feel taking care of them is no different than taking care of any other important part of a user's world. No one laughs at you for buying insurance for a house or car, why should it be any different with your eyes? If wearing the DESMO or other products like it helps me work harder and more effectively with less risk to my eyes in the end, then for $99 it is a bargain. The SteelSeries DESMO performs admirably, easing the strain on the wearers precious eyes, and allowing them to work longer and harder without the bane of computer related eye strain. Although some users may not like the design of the DESMO its effectiveness easily allows me to give it the Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer award. Pros:
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Comments
Gunnar also has a grey tinted pair of glasses for 3D viewing at their site and a much wider selection altogether.
Glasses that help hold moisture around the eyes also keeps sweat from dissipating. Not the least bit good for gaming where the action often gets hot and heavy.
Read through the reviews of Gunnar glasses. Real users aren't that impressed. I searched NewEgg for these SteelSeries rebranded Gunnar glasses and they aren't listed. Probably for a very good reason.
But, at least some manufacturers are trying to help people that are not allowed to take regular breaks so they can rest their eyes from too much computer work.
"Digital Eyewear", lol. What a joke. I have an excellent pair of sunglasses that cost me $25. Some companies sell "designer sunglasses" for hundreds. Just because some people are stupid enough to purchase them, or have more money than they know what to do with, doesn't make them worth $100. I'll purchase a $400 video card (two in fact) but not a $100 pair of "Digital Eyewear". I know when I'm getting ripped off. "There's a sucker born every minute" - P.T. Barnum