Apotheosis Studios is endlessly grateful to the many fans and supporters we’ve had over the years. Through our many Kickstarter projects, we’ve been able to turn the creative visions of our team from dreams into reality.

Some of our most ambitious projects to date have required even more assistance. Both of the Satine’s Quest events at Wentworth Mansions and the Seven Day Cruise are only possible thanks to the help of corporate sponsors.

GUNNAR Optiks are market leaders in eyewear scientifically proven to filter blue light. I had a talk with Ryan Jaress to learn all there is to know about GUNNAR.

Exclusive Interview with GUNNAR Optiks

You are known world over for keeping eyes safe from the dangers of too much screen time. And doing so in a stylish way! It’s interesting to hear where things began, especially for a product as helpful and diverse as GUNNARs. How did GUNNARs get started?

In 2003, our founder Matt Michelsen was inflicted with headaches caused by long days staring at his computer screens. Matt sought help and visited an optometrist and was diagnosed with Digital Eye Strain.

With tech use rising rapidly, Matt and his wife, Jennifer, saw that Digital Eye Strain would affect more and more people. With that insight, they teamed up with Joe Croft and began developing products to address the issue. And with that, GUNNAR was born.

GUNNAR — oUR CEO Jamison stone with gunnar optiks

Initially, the glasses were developed for those working with computers, but gamers became the early adopters of the product given their constant screen time. Since then, we have become #1 in the gaming eyewear category and we are here to stay!

Blue Light has interesting effect on the human brain and psychology. Because blue matches the sky, it has the effect of helping people feel awake. This is why social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have those colour schemes to encourage users to stay on longer. But that’s my surface knowledge, could you explain the science behind blue light and why filtering is so important, especially with screens?

Very interesting perspective with the social media outlets! Blue light is everywhere when using digital devices. Digital devices emit the harmful artificial blue light that disrupts melatonin production and circadian rhythm, the body’s natural sleep cycle.

GUNNAR’s lens technology is built to block that harmful blue light which helps reduce the effects of digital eye strain. Our lenses also have a curvature to the lenses that limit air currents and maintain humidity which sharpens detail and reduces strain. These aspects of our glasses address all short and long term side effects of digital eye strain, including: headaches, dry eyes, blurry vision, glare, and fatigue.

The result – improved clarity, focus and performance.

Now for the glasses themselves! What’s the science behind how the lenses filter out blue light and screen glare? How effective is it?

Our lenses have specific tints that are built to block blue light on the 450nm scale. With this benchmark we have four different lens tints:

Clear: Blocks 35% of blue light

Amber: Blocks 65% of blue light

Sun: Blocks 90% of blue light

Amber Max: Blocks 98% of blue light

Each lens option serves a different purpose. Clear offers effective blue light blocking capabilities without that amber tint. This gives a more color clear experience while still protecting your eyes.

Amber is the lens we recommend for most digital device users. This lens tech offers the optimal protection and performance out of our lens options. Sun lenses are made for digital device usage outdoors. Our sun lenses are perpously non-polarized so you can see your devices clearly without any distortion. They also offer a 100% UV protection from the sun.

Our Amber Max lens offers the most protection from blue light. Having a 98% blue light blocking scale, these lenses are made for those who are looking for improved sleep or those who tend to use digital devices during night time.

Even though the blue light filtering has important medical applications, so you’d expect stuffy and boring looking goggles or spectacles. Not so. GUNNAR’s glasses are incredibly stylish with multiple styles and frames. How does managing the function of the filtering and finding a stylish look make for a good product? Was finding the balance between function and aesthetics difficult, or something you always strived for?

We want everyone to keep their eyes protected and look good while doing so! We’ve always strived for a variety of styles for our glasses to fit everyone’s personal preference. We have leaned heavily into the functionality category for the hardcore gamers (i.e. Lightning Bolt 360 and Torpedo-X Razer Edition ) and we’ve created trending styles to allow everyone to look good and feel good while wearing them (i.e. Emery and Apex ).

Whether you’re looking for maximum comfort while gaming or using digital devices, or you want to have a pair that fits your lifestyle, we have an option for you!

You offer a diverse range of eyewear products that protect to varying strength levels. This spread of product appeals to many, especially our fans, and us right here in the Apotheosis Studios team. But is there an item, idea, or service that you are particularly proud of?

Even though we are beyond proud of our lens technology, we have recently developed some technology to help gamers play longer with even more comfort. This is the Lightning Bolt 360 glasses. This frame is essentially 6 different pairs into one. Featuring interchangeable amber and sun lenses, customizable nose bridges, and 3 different temple options, you can find the perfect setup for your gaming lifestyle!

What we are most proud of in the Lightning Bolt 360 is the strap. Through customer feedback, we have defined that wearing glasses with headsets applies uncomfortable pressure. With the strap, that issue is completely eliminated and you can game even longer with unparalleled comfort.

It’s important in business to admit when something isn’t right, and no idea is a winner every time. Was there ever an idea or product that you can recall that didn’t work or wasn’t a good idea? What happened to it? How did the company learn from the minor setback?

For as long as I have worked at GUNNAR, there haven’t been any major setbacks with glasses in production. But throughout GUNNAR’s history, we have worked to follow trends in the digital landscape. Sometimes, those trends aren’t as widely adopted as we anticipate. With that being said, we have developed a line of lenses in the past that are compatible with 3D monitors. Because 3D technology wasn’t widely accepted, we decided to step away from that technology.

With that being said, we are constantly keeping our eyes out (no pun intended) for opportunities to help protect the eyes of those exploring new technologies. For instance, we have listened to our audience and developed a heaver tint to help promote sleep and night-time digital use (Amber Max).

You’ve been partnered with Apotheosis for quite some time. We’ve used your product to help turn in those heavy deadlines and late hours for many of our releases, and for that we are very thankful. The continued support has allowed us to take on some of our most ambitious projects yet. It’s clear then that gaming and tech professionals have a lot of overlap, as we love our screen time, so our partnership made a lot of sense. How did that sponsorship come into being? What drew you to us? Are other gaming companies big supporters of blue light filtering?

Hearing how much GUNNAR has helped Apotheosis makes my heart sing! The opportunity to partner with Apotheosis presented itself when Jamison Stone and Satine Phoenix approached me during PAX West 2021 and the rest is history! We actually identified that the Digital D&D market is a untapped market that we want to be a part of! With the rise of online table top games, that means more people staring at screens playing their favorite games with their friends. We want to make sure that their eyes are protected along with the rest of the gamers and digital device users! With that, partnering with Apotheosis was an easy decision!

There are other companies that support blue light filtering glasses. We have strategic partners such as Razer, Ubisoft, ESL, and St. Jude. Each company identified the need for blue light protection and we’re happy to be their official blue light glasses partners!

Every business is looking at this new year with a lot of hope and excitement. There’s plenty to expand into with tech in filtering blue light becoming all the more refined. So what can we expect from GUNNAR in 2022? How much can you tell us about what to expect?

As much as I want to reveal what’s on the pipeline, I cannot at this time. All I can say is that this is a BIG year for GUNNAR on what’s to come.