Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

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Lawlbringer
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Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Lawlbringer » 16 Sep 2022, 00:16

Greetings!

First of all I wanted to say thank you to the other users who have made posts and followed up regarding their own issues with monitor eye strain and discomfort. I did want to try to get advice with my own struggle, however, as I feel extremely frustrated being unable to find a new comfortable monitor solution. Hopefully all this information is easy to digest and helps narrow down on where to start with some suggestions/advice.

Eye health background/status: I currently have 20/20 vision after SMILE corrective eye surgery at the start of 2022. Prior to that I wore glasses/contacts for nearsightedness and an astigmatism but the eye strain feeling is the SAME both before and after the surgery. I try to take breaks during PC use and use preservative free eye drops if my eyes are super dry but usually they're fine. I've followed up with other eye doctors and they don't see any issues with my vision that stands out. I'm currently looking into speaking with a vision therapist as I've heard eye strain can also be caused by eye focus issues which aren't easy to diagnose by non-specialists.

I am currently using the following monitors without issue:
- I-Inc IL272DPB 27" HD
- AOC G2770PQU 27" HD

Both of these(from what I can gather) are older 2013/2014 model TN panel monitors with the older style thicker bezels. Seldom do they cause me any major eye strain or fatigue. Usually only on days where I don't sleep well or if I don't use good ambient lighting do I feel any discomfort. I've been using them for nearly a decade though and I'd like to upgrade...the only issue is that it seems like every newer monitor causes me some form of unbearable eyestrain that makes it impossible to work or play on. I work from home so long hours working on Microsoft Office spreadsheets, e-mails, and documents is the norm for me.

Over the last few years I've tried several newer monitors of different sizes, resolutions, and panel types. Here's a list of them:

- Acer Nitro XV272U 27" 2K IPS
- MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD 27" 2K IPS
- Dell S3222DGM 32" 2K VA
- HP X32 31.5" 2K IPS
- Gigabyte M27Q 27" 2K IPS
- MSI Optix MAG274R HD IPS
- GIGABYTE M28U 28" 4K IPS
- Acer XF270HU 27" 2K TN
- Dell S2719DGF 27" 2K TN

All of them caused significant eye strain/fatigue to the point where I could no longer use it without taking pain medication and breaks every 5 minutes. The pain/discomfort feels like a pressure behind the eyes within 15 minutes that usually turns into a dull headache or full blown migraine. What's interesting is that the newer TN panel monitors I've tried gave me quicker and more painful eye strain than IPS/VA despite it being the current panel type I use without issues. I've also given some of these monitors weeks to try to "adjust" to them but I never seem to even with frequent breaks and ergonomic settings. Speaking of those, I've tried a lot after reading other users posts around the forum. Here's my list of what I've tried:

Things I've tried to alleviate issues:
- Using limited RGB mode or sRGB clamp
- Increasing Windows scaling from 100% to 125%-150%
- Tried Windows Night Mode
- Turned down brightness/contrast
- Color calibrated monitor with friends colorimeter
- Tried different refresh rates
- Tried both NVidia and AMD GPUs
- Tried with G-Sync/Freesync on AND off
- Tried turning monitor overdrive modes on/off
- Adjusting ambient lighting (more for me usually helps)
- Tried sitting closer and at arms length away
- Tried "gamer" yellow tinted glasses with and without a slight magnification(x0.50)
- Tried NeuroLens prism glasses via Optometrist with no change(made headaches 10x worse)

So here I am pretty much at the end of my sanity trying to figure out what is wrong with me or if maybe it's just the newer monitors I'm sensitive to and needing to find the right one. I feel cursed having to deal with this as an IT professional that has to be in front of screens a lot of the time. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. :(

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Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 16 Sep 2022, 16:44

I am not sure, but this is suggestive of a few possibilities to self-diagnose:
- Sensitivity to display motion blur (use a strobe backlight); or
- Sensitivity to antiglare filter that are on all of those LCD monitors you tried; or
- Sensitivity to blue-phosphor-based LED backlights (e.g. white LEDs use blue phosphors). Not fixable by Low Blue Light Mode, must be physical filters like orange sunglasses. You can switch to OLED to get away from such a sensitivity, if orange sunglasses is not enough.

As always, make sure you see an eye-doctor to cover root causes of other strains.
However, eye doctors are unfamiliar with the niche eyestrain issues of a modern monitor -- they do special things that can aggravate certain types of people like you. Therefore, forums like Blur Busters seems to have unwittingly become one of the Internet's best known secrets to try to self-diagnose ergonomic issues with gaming monitors.

1. Have you tried orange-tinted sunglasses (designed for computer use)?

2. Have you tried a glossy monitor? (e.g. Apple). If you never get eyestrain from Apple screens, laptops or ipads, then a major clue you have antiglare-text-related eyestrain. You can go OLED as most are glossy, too.

3. Have you ever tried motion blur reduction with framerate=Hz (VSYNC ON or low-lag clone)?
That makes them CRT motion clear even for fast-scrolling. Some people have motion-blur-related headaches when screens exceed a FOV threshold (e.g. 20 degrees). Screens are bigger than they used to be, so motion blur is a bigger headache problem than it used to be. Sometimes they increase headache for some, but reduce headaches for others provided motion is locked to framerate=Hz to minimize the strobe-amplified jittering.

4. Have you tried viewing from further away, like 4 feet away?
You can get a bigger screen to compensate, such as a new high-hz 4K 120Hz television. They are fantastic computer monitors when selected properly, since you need bigger for a far viewing distance.

5. Have you tried going sideways and trying OLED? OLED is always glossy.
- New Dell Alienware 170 Hz ultrawide OLED
- LG 42", 48" or 55" OLED TV. All new ones are 4K 120Hz G-SYNC. They are popular computer monitors now, with a 1-meter view distance; just like tiling multimonitor four 27" displays in a 2x2 grid. Use 150-200% DPI zoom to make text comfortable at further distance.
All are found for between $1000-$1500 USD if you shop around, e.g. previous year refurbished C9 or C1 LG OLED.
And don't worry about burn-in, it's not a problem if you do some best-practices like reduce brightness to less than TV-bright, and use Dark Mode. Remember, even LCD wear out (backlight lifetime), and newer brightness-recalibrated OLED can sometimes outlast an ultrabright LCD backlight that wears out.

__________________

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)
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Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 16 Sep 2022, 17:14

Some related threads:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10438
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10251

It seems there's a surge of discussion about this, time is nigh to eventually create a subforum called "Display Ergonomics - Eyestrain and Headaches". If people keep posting about vision ergonomics, then there's a place for such discussion.
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Srksi
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Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Srksi » 19 Sep 2022, 19:37

Here are few possible solutions by my experience:
Put led backlight on monitor.
Try some fast panels with blur reduction and tweak it well.
Test all game modes if your monitor have them.

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Discorz
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Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Discorz » 20 Sep 2022, 00:33

Chief Blur Buster wrote:
16 Sep 2022, 17:14
It seems there's a surge of discussion about this, time is nigh to eventually create a subforum called "Display Ergonomics - Eyestrain and Headaches". If people keep posting about vision ergonomics, then there's a place for such discussion.
This is great idea! Eye health is very important and not discussed enough.
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Lawlbringer
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Joined: 15 Sep 2022, 23:06

Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Lawlbringer » 22 Sep 2022, 12:02

Chief Blur Buster wrote:
16 Sep 2022, 16:44
I am not sure, but this is suggestive of a few possibilities to self-diagnose:
- Sensitivity to display motion blur (use a strobe backlight); or
- Sensitivity to antiglare filter that are on all of those LCD monitors you tried; or
- Sensitivity to blue-phosphor-based LED backlights (e.g. white LEDs use blue phosphors). Not fixable by Low Blue Light Mode, must be physical filters like orange sunglasses. You can switch to OLED to get away from such a sensitivity, if orange sunglasses is not enough.

As always, make sure you see an eye-doctor to cover root causes of other strains.
However, eye doctors are unfamiliar with the niche eyestrain issues of a modern monitor -- they do special things that can aggravate certain types of people like you. Therefore, forums like Blur Busters seems to have unwittingly become one of the Internet's best known secrets to try to self-diagnose ergonomic issues with gaming monitors.

1. Have you tried orange-tinted sunglasses (designed for computer use)?

2. Have you tried a glossy monitor? (e.g. Apple). If you never get eyestrain from Apple screens, laptops or ipads, then a major clue you have antiglare-text-related eyestrain. You can go OLED as most are glossy, too.

3. Have you ever tried motion blur reduction with framerate=Hz (VSYNC ON or low-lag clone)?
That makes them CRT motion clear even for fast-scrolling. Some people have motion-blur-related headaches when screens exceed a FOV threshold (e.g. 20 degrees). Screens are bigger than they used to be, so motion blur is a bigger headache problem than it used to be. Sometimes they increase headache for some, but reduce headaches for others provided motion is locked to framerate=Hz to minimize the strobe-amplified jittering.

4. Have you tried viewing from further away, like 4 feet away?
You can get a bigger screen to compensate, such as a new high-hz 4K 120Hz television. They are fantastic computer monitors when selected properly, since you need bigger for a far viewing distance.

5. Have you tried going sideways and trying OLED? OLED is always glossy.
- New Dell Alienware 170 Hz ultrawide OLED
- LG 42", 48" or 55" OLED TV. All new ones are 4K 120Hz G-SYNC. They are popular computer monitors now, with a 1-meter view distance; just like tiling multimonitor four 27" displays in a 2x2 grid. Use 150-200% DPI zoom to make text comfortable at further distance.
All are found for between $1000-$1500 USD if you shop around, e.g. previous year refurbished C9 or C1 LG OLED.
And don't worry about burn-in, it's not a problem if you do some best-practices like reduce brightness to less than TV-bright, and use Dark Mode. Remember, even LCD wear out (backlight lifetime), and newer brightness-recalibrated OLED can sometimes outlast an ultrabright LCD backlight that wears out.

__________________

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)
Chief,

1. I have tried several orange tinted glasses from Amazon with no luck. Some had a slight magnification as well for text at higher resolutions but still no difference.

2. I have not BUT it is interesting to note that my work laptop is a Dell Latitude 5480 that has a glossy touch screen with a 1920x1080 resolution screen and gives me zero issues. It's actually more comfortable to use than my desktop monitors regardless of my physical state(lack of sleep, dry eyes, etc.) Seems the only specific gaming monitors that have a glossy screens are that Eve brand that doesn't have the most favorable reviews.

3. I have tried locking framerates to my monitors refresh rate(if that's what you're asking) I have also tried different refresh rates for the monitors themselves(60Hz/75Hz/120Hz/170Hz.) I don't believe this may be my particular issue because reading still text or doing non-motion work would still strain my eyes.

4. I have not tried 4+ feet away but I may try that if I get a bigger monitor. Right now I'm usually at arms length or 2 1/2 feet or so.

5. I'm very tempted to try an OLED TV like the LG C2 42" since there's not a lot of options left I haven't tried and I can afford it. The only issue is Apple/Samsung OLED phone screens have always given me issues in the past but I believe that's more due to PWM dimming. Since Micro Center accepts 30 days returns on most items I might try it anyway.

Additional clues answers:
- Do you ever get eyestrain with modern VR headsets? Have not tried a VR headset for more than a few minutes at a friends but I can try my friends Oculus Rift sometime.

- Do you ever get eyestrain with Apple devices? Not previously(pre-2013) but newer Mac, Macbook, and iPad screens did cause me some discomfort. OLED iPhones(iPhone X and newer) also cause me a different kind of annoying discomfort but I believe that's due to PWM dimming they use. I use an iPhone 11 currently with few issues unless I'm in a dark room.

- Do you ever get eyestrain with DLP projectors? Have not tried recently but previously no I have not had issues

- Do you ever get eyestrain with televisions? No, no issues with TV's. I typically sit pretty far away though since I have 20/20 vision.

Update 9/22:
I followed up with my vision therapy eye doctor yesterday and we're going to try a different minor prescription with a tint before trying eye exercises as a last resort. She said my vision is great outside of a very slight vertical focusing issue which she believes makes my eye work harder at mid-range with digital devices. We'll see what happens but fingers crossed.

Also, I'm currently doing some research between the LG C2 42" and the Sony Bravia A90k 42" as a desktop monitor replacement as will report back when I've tried either. I'm not the biggest fan of 1 huge monitor vs 2-3 24-27" monitors but if it's comfortable and looks great I'll gladly compromise.

Thanks everyone!

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Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 23 Sep 2022, 16:58

You're on the correct path.

I have heard of excellent reports of reduced eyestrain by some people with 4-foot view distances with a TV as monitor -- especially one with a different technology like a glossy OLED. So there's some credence in going that approach. I recommend experimenting with a TV.

Remember to run ClearType tuner (Windows Search Box -> Type "ClearType" -> Adjust cleartype
That will make fonts look much better on most TVs.

Also don't forget to change TV menu setting "Aspect" -> "Just Scan" (or "1:1" or "Full" or similar parlance). Otherwise, your start menu bar will be chopped off with overscan.

And definitely adjust brightness down from TV brightness, too.

Then if done correctly, text will usually be just as perfectly clear as a computer monitor of the same resolution.
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Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Lawlbringer » 03 Nov 2022, 21:52

So some bad news: I ended up returning the LG C2 42". It made my eyes feel exhausted and strained my eyes to the point I still felt it the next day. Usually that isn't the case with the eye strain/fatigue I got from other monitors. I honestly wanted to give it more time but I couldn't really adjust to the large size either. Coming from 27" it just felt way too large for common PC tasks unfortunately despite how amazing the colors and resolution were.

At this point I have no idea what is with my eyes. I try giving stuff a few weeks to adjust as that's sometimes the case going from old to new but so far there's still significant discomfort with what feels like all modern monitors. I suppose I could try a smaller OLED monitor but it feels like I might have to wait a bit for that.

It's just so frustrating to have this issue when I can see things so clearly and every eye doctor is saying I'm 20/20 and should be fine.

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Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 04 Nov 2022, 02:02

That's tough.

Have you considered working with a display that is far away from you? Testing a laptop with a ordinary TV? Even a projector on a wall at opposite side of room?

I presume you haven't had eyestrain with older CCFL-backlit LCD monitors? (e.g. 1080p monitors from pre-2010).
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Anonymous316387

Re: Eye strain issues with newer monitors(IPS/VA/TN)

Post by Anonymous316387 » 05 Nov 2022, 19:51

Same problem but only with IPS ( mostly Nano ips and QLED IPS )
Very boring....

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