Eyestrain, nausea with "all" new monitors?

[Chief Blur Buster]

1 Is it possible that I am also colour sensitive?
2. question if my problem has reduced from previous monitors such that I can sit all day and only my eyes pinch, will they eventually stop because I get used to it?
3 I am looking for a 4k/120 hz HDMI cable. If I set the refresh rate higher, won't it suddenly feel more uncomfortable to use?

1. It is possible but you need to do more testing, including with CRT tubes and other technologies such as an OLED iPad.
...Did you ever have problems with CRT or plasmas for the same vision field of view in the past?
...Did you ever have problems with a wide-gamut mobile such as an OLED iPad?

2. I can't answer that. It can be either. Things can get better but things can get worse. And sometimes much worse to serious health problems. Don't gamble!

3. Usually, higher refresh rates reduced eyestrain, regardless of old CRT or new LCD display. However, there are some people who had worse experience (motion nausea). Static images on LCDs looks the same at low and high refresh rates because the refresh rate isn't affecting anything, as refreshing a new image on an old image is essentially visually no-operation (nonwithstanding FRC artifacts and inversion artifacts). If you are getting issues even staring at static images, it's not the refresh rate as there's no flicker in sample-and-hold LCDs. Some people got the least eyestrain when using motion blur reduction or ultra-high refresh rates, while others needed to side-grade to a different panel technology to solve their ergonomic problem instead.

I'm sorry if I created more questions, than answers for you. You have to test dramatically different displays, including older displays and newer displays.

Don't forget the environment. The screen should not be the brightest object in the room. Put a LED lightbulb behind your screen, as another test. Other than blue light and flicker, there are over one hundred ergonomic issues with screens, that are sometimes not caused by the screen itself -- and often you have multiple concurrent ergonomic issues that is hard to diagnose. Ouch.

So a you may need an environment change AND dramatic side-grade (dramatically different panel, like LCD -> OLED switch) often hits a dozen birds simultaneously with one stone, while also considering your eyes (e.g. prescription glasses), and so on.

You have to spray many troubleshoot bullets at all the over 100 ergonomic issues concurrently, in a "niche mysterious ergonomic issue" situation. Binary-Search / Shot Gun approach is sometimes needed when it's too expensive or time consuming to try troubleshooting 1 ergonomic issue at a time.

[spiroth10]

I think I know what causes this and for me it also causes migranes.

part of it is the backlighting on edge lit LCDs which keeps at least me up at night on some of these new nanoips.

also, most of them are 8bit+frc wide gamut. so colors often appear nuclear on these fast ips gaming monitors. if you have an RGB clamp setting, if its wide-gamut, then color management set to IEC SRGB in your system and a clamp on the monitor will get colors less nuclear. if there is no clamp, novideo_srgb or amd driver settings can modify this.

now what I think causes the strain and headaches is frc. so if you are using "10-bit color" its going to automatically engage 8bit+frc (dithering) to achieve an apparent 10-bit gamut. thing is, while temporal produces the best image (it flashes colors like a strobe light), it causes many people migranes.

if the monitor is a 8bit+frc try reducing the color depth to 8 bits and lose whatever hdr or whatever and see if that makes you feel better and less dizzy while looking at it.

I cant run this one I have in 10 bit color. I just keep it at 165hz 8 bit displayport since its only ever going to display 8 bit srgb anyway.

[Fuzon]

So much information and don't know where to begin. I own a AW2518H that has started to give me problems, or at least am now aware that is giving me eyestrain and nausea. I have little to no issues on my 60hz tn Dell at work, and the standard thinkpad screen. Been thinking to jumping over to a Zowie, but this is essentially still the same tech as the Alienware... should I give it a go.. or switch to ips/OLED?

I don't need a massive screen 24in is fine. Would like to continue to game, but don't mind downgrading to 144hz if the strain goes away.

[isitfrc]

now what I think causes the strain and headaches is frc. so if you are using "10-bit color" its going to automatically engage 8bit+frc (dithering) to achieve an apparent 10-bit gamut. thing is, while temporal produces the best image (it flashes colors like a strobe light), it causes many people migranes.

if the monitor is a 8bit+frc try reducing the color depth to 8 bits and lose whatever hdr or whatever and see if that makes you feel better and less dizzy while looking at it.

I cant run this one I have in 10 bit color. I just keep it at 165hz 8 bit displayport since its only ever going to display 8 bit srgb anyway.

I'm leaning that way too. I've had to return my ViewSonic XG2431 because it was making me very nauseous. I've tried both strobing on and off, FreeSync on and off but while I didn't have any major problems working with text, I was not able to play games without eye strain and feeling sick. It's a real shame because I was otherwise very happy with the monitor as the motion clarity was simply amazing, even without PureXP.

I'm leaning towards FRC being the cause because I have similar issues on my second screen Asus BE24A, which is a 6bit + FRC panel too - I can work on it, but get an uncomfortable feeling when playing games, although not nearly as pronounced as on ViewSonic XG2431, maybe due to lower refresh rate or maybe because it's positioned to the side and at an angle, which isn't fully compensated even when turning my head.

I'm thinking about ordering Q27G2S/EU, which supposedly is a 8bit + FCR monitor, but I'm not completely sure if staying on 8bit does fully disable FRC or maybe it's active anyway as an inherent feature of the panel? Would switching 10bit to just 8bit in drivers truly completely get rid of FRC?

[rx7]

now what I think causes the strain and headaches is frc. so if you are using "10-bit color" its going to automatically engage 8bit+frc (dithering) to achieve an apparent 10-bit gamut. thing is, while temporal produces the best image (it flashes colors like a strobe light), it causes many people migranes.

if the monitor is a 8bit+frc try reducing the color depth to 8 bits and lose whatever hdr or whatever and see if that makes you feel better and less dizzy while looking at it.

I cant run this one I have in 10 bit color. I just keep it at 165hz 8 bit displayport since its only ever going to display 8 bit srgb anyway.

I'm leaning that way too. I've had to return my ViewSonic XG2431 because it was making me very nauseous. I've tried both strobing on and off, FreeSync on and off but while I didn't have any major problems working with text, I was not able to play games without eye strain and feeling sick. It's a real shame because I was otherwise very happy with the monitor as the motion clarity was simply amazing, even without PureXP.

I'm leaning towards FRC being the cause because I have similar issues on my second screen Asus BE24A, which is a 6bit + FRC panel too - I can work on it, but get an uncomfortable feeling when playing games, although not nearly as pronounced as on ViewSonic XG2431, maybe due to lower refresh rate or maybe because it's positioned to the side and at an angle, which isn't fully compensated even when turning my head.

I'm thinking about ordering Q27G2S/EU, which supposedly is a 8bit + FCR monitor, but I'm not completely sure if staying on 8bit does fully disable FRC or maybe it's active anyway as an inherent feature of the panel? Would switching 10bit to just 8bit in drivers truly completely get rid of FRC?

Did you ever figure out a monitor that works? Trying to find something without FRC

[r0ach]

Did you ever figure out a monitor that works? Trying to find something without FRC

Dithering is not the root cause because I've used a Samsung 6bit+2bit TN panel for years with 0 problems while monitors like the Acer 24.5" 390hz cause almost instant PWM-like sickness. I don't know all the monitors that are safe to use but Samsung VA's seem to be the safest that I've tried.

I have the Odyssey G3 - one of the slowest "gaming" monitors that exists but zero eye problems and mine measures like 5000+ contrast. The G7 are wide color gamut and I think different backlighting so not sure if those are equally as good or not. All the BOE panels I've used are bad, while some AU Optronics panels are perfectly fine (like the 60hz one in my Asus Zenbook 13") and not others like that Acer 390hz.

I hear some people claim Innolux like the K7e are good for the eyes but haven't tried it myself. I thought AU sold panels with the backlights already pre-fused to the screen but apparently different vendors like KTC and whoever are applying their own so I think it might be possible for some panels from one vendor to be bad for the eyes while another vendor's version isn't. I see a ton of people complaining about Acers in general.

[Chief Blur Buster]

There are over 100 ergonomic issues that are beyond "PWM", "Dithering", "Blue Light", etc.

More than 90% of people wild goose chase to a red-herring, falsely thinking their display ergonomic issue was X when it was actually Y.

[rx7]

There are over 100 ergonomic issues that are beyond "PWM", "Dithering", "Blue Light", etc.

More than 90% of people wild goose chase to a red-herring, falsely thinking their display ergonomic issue was X when it was actually Y.

Not to highjack this post but I saw a comment from you awhile back which was the following:

"additional clues:
- Do you ever get eyestrain with modern VR headsets? (Big clue to help you with a monitor recommendation)
- Do you ever get eyestrain with Apple devices? (Big clue to help you with a monitor recommendation)
- Do you ever get eyestrain with DLP projectors? (Another clue)
- Do you ever get eyestrain with televisions? (Another clue)"

I have the same exact issues with new screens I can't tolerate them at all, could you give me some info? For me the answers would be

1. Valve index VR was the only screen I could tolerate.. if I went on my pg278qr or 27ul600 it would make my head feel pressured, anxious, weird sensation like I have to hurry with whatever I'm doing on the PC, dry eye, head eye pain.

2. Apple devices are THE WORST. I couldn't use SE gen 2, 11 and iPhone 12.

3. Never really used a projector in a long time.

4. TV is alot better but still causes issues

[rx7]

There are over 100 ergonomic issues that are beyond "PWM", "Dithering", "Blue Light", etc.

More than 90% of people wild goose chase to a red-herring, falsely thinking their display ergonomic issue was X when it was actually Y.

Could you give more info on the ergonomic triggers ?

[rx7]

Did you ever figure out a monitor that works? Trying to find something without FRC

Dithering is not the root cause because I've used a Samsung 6bit+2bit TN panel for years with 0 problems while monitors like the Acer 24.5" 390hz cause almost instant PWM-like sickness. I don't know all the monitors that are safe to use but Samsung VA's seem to be the safest that I've tried.

I have the Odyssey G3 - one of the slowest "gaming" monitors that exists but zero eye problems and mine measures like 5000+ contrast. The G7 are wide color gamut and I think different backlighting so not sure if those are equally as good or not. All the BOE panels I've used are bad, while some AU Optronics panels are perfectly fine (like the 60hz one in my Asus Zenbook 13") and not others like that Acer 390hz.

I hear some people claim Innolux like the K7e are good for the eyes but haven't tried it myself. I thought AU sold panels with the backlights already pre-fused to the screen but apparently different vendors like KTC and whoever are applying their own so I think it might be possible for some panels from one vendor to be bad for the eyes while another vendor's version isn't. I see a ton of people complaining about Acers in general.

That's interesting. I can't find a good monitor that works. I've had screen intolerance issues for almost 4 years now. I was thinking of trying a older monitor or even a VA. Only screen I can tolerate is my Xiaomi 13t AMOLED screen with everything dark mode