Simracing has boomed in popularity in recent years. According to a research report by Spherical Insights & Consulting, the global racing simulator industry’s market value was $0.45 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach $1.9 billion by 2033.
Even simracing competitions have gained traction, with live streams reaching up to 400,000 viewers on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. These numbers indicate growing engagement among racing and gaming enthusiasts who want to experience the physics and accurate simulation of real-world racing.
One crucial requirement of simracing is good vision. After all, having good vision can help you see critical information on the tracks, thus enabling you to make correct decisions on where to brake, turn, and hit the throttle. However, simracing can require you to stay close to your monitor, leading to eye strain and compromised eyesight. That said, here are some tips to protect your vision during simracing:
Wear blue light glasses
Simracing can increase your risk of eye strain due to blue light exposure, especially since your eyes are much closer to the monitor. Blue light can easily reach the retina and cause visual fatigue. To avoid this, you can wear blue light glasses from LensCrafters that prevent blue light from penetrating your eyes. These glasses have a unique Blue-Violet Light lens treatment that filters blue light from natural sources like the sun and artificial sources like digital screens, allowing you to drive virtually without compromising your vision.
Use eye drops
Staying focused on the tracks can make you hyper-fixated on your screen. As a result, you may forget to blink, leading to painful, dry eyes that can affect visual comfort while driving. You can prevent this by using artificial tears like the Hylo Care eye drops, which contain hyaluronic acid that retains eye moisture. Make sure to apply artificial tears before you get behind the wheel to ensure your eyes are lubricated while simracing. Doing so can prevent painful eye strain symptoms, helping you enjoy the ride.
Put a blue light filter
Aside from glasses, using a filter on your monitor screen can significantly reduce blue light while simracing. When choosing which brand to use, check if it has the UL Eyesafe Verified Mark label. This means that the screen protector passes the UL Marketing Claim Verification program, which uses the safety criteria from Eyesafe Screen Accessory Requirements 2.1 to ensure optimal blue light filtration performance. Putting a layer of protection on your screen ensures that you’re mitigating blue light exposure at the source, keeping your simracing endeavors safe for your eyes.
Take a break
Finally, taking frequent breaks is an essential eye-healthy practice to avoid vision problems when simracing. Make sure to rest in between your driving sessions to promote visual comfort and retain visual sharpness. During your break, you can do eye yoga exercises like palming: simply rub your hands together to generate heat, close your eyes, and then place your warm hands over them to relax your eye muscles. Having well-rested eyes lets you see the virtual track clearly, boosting your driving performance and allowing you to make the most of this hobby.
A good field of vision is essential in simracing, especially if you want to progress in the field. But too much simracing can also compromise your ocular health, so follow these eye safety tips to help you drive safely and more efficiently.
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the blue light filter thing wasn’t debunked already?
I’m a 68 YO retired optician and optical instructor from Canada who has spent a lot of time behind the wheel playing WRC 9, 10, Generations and now EA WRC 23. I would like to add to the tips shared in this article by Gonzalo.
The sun gives off 1000 times more blue light than an LED screen, so our bodies have evolved to deal with it. Actually, blue light acts as a stimulant. Blue light from the rising sun signals our brain and our body to stop releasing a sleep hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is nature’s way of helping us wind down and prepare for bed and our body starts releasing it a couple of hours before bedtime. Blue light from any screen before bedtime can make falling asleep more difficult. If you use nighttime mode on your phone or use a gaming screen with a blue filter built in, sleeping shouldn’t be a problem… depending on your adrenaline levels.
There is a phenomenon called “blue blur” that occurs because the shorter wavelengths of blue/violet light come to a focal point just in front of the retina instead of on it, producing a visual blur. This can cause visual fatigue, so cutting out blue light by glasses or with screen settings could improve your contrast sensitivity and reduce fatigue.
I drive a home-built Ricmotec design simulator and my screen is about my arm length away from my eyes. The most relaxing vision for the eye is looking at a distance of 20 feet or more away, defined as infinity. Obviously my eyes have to work harder to focus on my much closer sim screen, so I wear a pair of single vision glasses with the power compensated to fool my eyes into thinking I’m looking at infinity.
My Rx compensated gaming glasses have been the single biggest improvement in reducing my gaming eyestrain.
Contact me through my website https://personalopticians.com/
if you have questions or need help on the subject.
Cheers,
PlywoodPilot on YouTube