diff --git a/apps/openmw/engine.cpp b/apps/openmw/engine.cpp
index 93b3718057..f42dfe3f78 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/engine.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/engine.cpp
@@ -516,7 +516,8 @@ void OMW::Engine::createWindow(Settings::Manager& settings)
     checkSDLError(SDL_GL_SetAttribute(SDL_GL_BLUE_SIZE, 8));
     checkSDLError(SDL_GL_SetAttribute(SDL_GL_ALPHA_SIZE, 0));
     checkSDLError(SDL_GL_SetAttribute(SDL_GL_DEPTH_SIZE, 24));
-    checkSDLError(SDL_GL_SetAttribute(SDL_GL_CONTEXT_FLAGS, SDL_GL_CONTEXT_DEBUG_FLAG));
+    if (Debug::shouldDebugOpenGL())
+        checkSDLError(SDL_GL_SetAttribute(SDL_GL_CONTEXT_FLAGS, SDL_GL_CONTEXT_DEBUG_FLAG));
 
     if (antialiasing > 0)
     {
@@ -577,7 +578,8 @@ void OMW::Engine::createWindow(Settings::Manager& settings)
     camera->setGraphicsContext(graphicsWindow);
     camera->setViewport(0, 0, traits->width, traits->height);
 
-    mViewer->setRealizeOperation(new Debug::EnableGLDebugOperation());
+    if (Debug::shouldDebugOpenGL())
+        mViewer->setRealizeOperation(new Debug::EnableGLDebugOperation());
 
     mViewer->realize();
 
diff --git a/components/debug/gldebug.cpp b/components/debug/gldebug.cpp
index 76e7a4bb9b..20448ccbb3 100644
--- a/components/debug/gldebug.cpp
+++ b/components/debug/gldebug.cpp
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ either expressed or implied, of the FreeBSD Project.
 
 #include "gldebug.hpp"
 
+#include <cstdlib>
+
 #include <components/debug/debuglog.hpp>
 
 // OpenGL constants not provided by OSG:
@@ -144,3 +146,15 @@ void Debug::EnableGLDebugOperation::operator()(osg::GraphicsContext* graphicsCon
     unsigned int contextID = graphicsContext->getState()->getContextID();
     enableGLDebugExtension(contextID);
 }
+
+bool Debug::shouldDebugOpenGL()
+{
+    const char* env = std::getenv("OPENMW_DEBUG_OPENGL");
+    if (!env)
+        return false;
+    std::string str(env);
+    if (str.length() == 0)
+        return true;
+
+    return str.find("OFF") == std::string::npos && str.find("0") == std::string::npos && str.find("NO") == std::string::npos;
+}
diff --git a/components/debug/gldebug.hpp b/components/debug/gldebug.hpp
index 77d6c82a85..823d4f36fa 100644
--- a/components/debug/gldebug.hpp
+++ b/components/debug/gldebug.hpp
@@ -15,5 +15,7 @@ namespace Debug
     private:
         OpenThreads::Mutex mMutex;
     };
+
+    bool shouldDebugOpenGL();
 }
 #endif