GUNNAR Ojai Vision Recovery System review

Your eyes are important. As someone who works a desk job, and then gets behind a screen again for his side hustle and hobby, your eyes get tired. That's not even counting the ridiculous amount of time we use our phones, yet again more opportunities for our eyes to become exhausted. At the end of the day, you need a recharge, but sleep alone may not be enough. GUNNAR has long taken care of your eyes, usually through special lenses and glasses that block out the bad stuff. Now, they’ve come up with a solution for relaxing. Introducing the Ojai Vision Recovery System, something I thought sounded gimmicky, but turned out to be useful, even if a bit niche.

Opening the box, you'll find the Ojai headset, along with some paperwork and a cloth carrying bag. While the Ojai charges via USB-C, I was surprised to not find even a cheap cable. Sure, most of us have them lying around, but any device that doesn't come with a means to charge it is annoying.

The Ojai almost makes me think of what would happen if a Meta Quest and a sleep mask had a baby. It's not as hefty as a VR headset, but it isn't as light as a sleep mask. The fit on your head is decent, with an adjustable elastic strap holding the Ojai in place. It can be a bear on the ears, as if you put it behind them, it can dig in, but over them it may not hold as tightly. I do appreciate it being foldable, which allows it to fit nicely in a backpack for travel.

On the front and left-facing side of the Ojai are the controls. There are only three, but it's more than enough for this device. You’ll find a power button for turning it on and controlling the modes, a vibration intensity button, and a volume button for the included music or Bluetooth.

Putting the Ojai on, it blocks out everything with a Full Blackout Recovery Design. This is intentional, as the point of the device is to get rid of external stimuli and let you detach. I didn’t have any issues with light getting in from anywhere, which is exactly what you want. Upon turning the Ojai on, it immediately goes for the first mode, which is light pressure, heat, and music. Said music isn’t anything special, just some birds and a babbling brook, but anything that can simulate relaxation is appreciated. You can also sync your phone up to Bluetooth to play whatever you’d like, and the volume has two settings, which still keep it as background noise.

Other modes differentiate by offering stronger pressure, or a mix of heat on or off. It’s good to have choices, especially as one size doesn’t fit all with a device like this. Some days, you’re worn out more or less, so it’s nice that the Ojai takes that into consideration. Vibration is also available, adding additional massaging to your experience.

Speaking of the experience, the air compression is intriguing. The focus seems to be on your temples, which makes sense given so much stress is held there for your eyes, but it can be a tad jarring at first. It’s definitely best to start out on the lower side of pressure, and make sure you have the Ojai on correctly, as certain pressure can hit a spot and be somewhat painful. As someone dealing with a lot of sinus pain during the change of seasons, I’ve had a moment or two where an Ojai session wasn’t a good idea. The way it pushes over your eyes when it does is supremely comfortable, however, especially in combination with the heat.

The heat may be my favorite part of the Ojai massage. It sits around 43°C / 109 °F, and the cozy nature it expends might be the most valuable part of your session. Given there’s an “only heat mode”, it’s great to have the option to just unwind this way.

All of these sessions last ten minutes. The theme of the device is taking back ten minutes of your day to recharge. There’s an auto-off at the ten minute mark, and I’m glad it’s there, because the way the Ojai takes you out of your surroundings makes keeping track of time difficult. This is a good thing; the mission is separating you from distractions and screens to restore your eyes, and it’s doing its job if I feel that way.

My experience with the Ojai has been one where I’m not sure if it’s making a huge difference, but it certainly isn’t hurting. GUNNAR did a survey of people using the device and came away with these results:

● 94% reported a high level of physical relaxation after a session.

● 89% said their eyes felt more relaxed.

● Average discomfort ratings were approximately 56% lower immediately after a session, across the five eye and vision discomfort measures.

● 87% of Day 30 respondents were using Ojai in 10-minute sessions, most often after work or before bed.

Ojai - GUNNAR Optiks Visual Recovery System

Relieve digital eye strain with the Ojai Visual Recovery System by GUNNAR. Combine soothing heat, air massages & Bluetooth audio to reset overworked eyes today.

GUNNAR

As I’ve only used the Ojai for roughly a week, it’s hard to tell you this will definitively change your life, or that it’ll revitalize your eyes. That said, there is merit to how I’ve felt after using it, and it’s certainly made me feel more relaxed after my sessions. It could be a placebo effect, but it’s one I’m willing to enjoy even if it were just mind over matter.

I think the biggest question for people regarding the Ojai is “why?”. As someone who is always doing something – including this review – I find it hard to slow down. This leads to stress in general, but especially to my eyes from all the screens I’m constantly in front of. The why can be answered easily in the theming I mentioned earlier, taking back those ten minutes of your day. Maybe the device itself isn’t adding a lot to your restoration, but the time it's pressing you to relax might be even more beneficial. Either way, I think that alone could make the Ojai a good investment.