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Sat 10 Dec, 2005 09:52 pm
Does anyone else have a problem with eye strain? I find that I can play video games for countless hours or spend time on other various programs and I have few problems, but when it comes time to view text it isn't long before it's more then I can take. Anyone have a similar problem or know of any ways to combat eye strain?
Are you talking about reading text on a computer, or in a book? If it is on the computer, perhaps you need to make your screen resolution larger.
Do you wear glasses? You might want to have your eyes checked. People read on computers in a middle range..............not like a book, which is read at close range. You might want to buy one of the reading glasses that are sold in a drugstore.
When you check out the strength, stand as far from the mirror as you would be when you look at the computer. I would take a tape measure, and measure from your eyes to the screen. Then measure the same distance from your eyes to the mirror in the store.
If you already wear glasses, you might ask your optometrist to fit you for computer glasses. Bottom line, if your eyes are pretty good, and you don't have astigmatism, you can get away with drugstore glasses. If you already need glasses, and there is a difference in the sight between your two eyes, then you need a prescription.
Another thing that you can do is by a bottle of eye drops, like Visene, or Refresh Tears. That will help with eyestrain.
Eye strain
You won't be conscious of the flicker of lines on a computer if the computer is properly adjusted, but it's there, and can be pretty bothersome. This wouldn't necessarily apply to games where there are wide variations of color and size and shape, but it can drive you nuts with line upon line of text.
Eye strain
P.S. I find Refresh Tears the best of the lot, because there seems to be no limit to how often you can use it. I have a horrible dry eye problem and use Refresh Tears up tp 10-15 times a day - especially a heavy computer-using day.
For what it's worth, the screen flicker was visible and painful after my last eye exam. Must have to do with dialated pupils, along with all the other reasons.
CAN YOU STILL READ THIS?
see....it ain't so bad...
I switched to a larger CRT screen instead of my lcd and it seams to help some. I hate putting eye drops in my eyes but it's worth a shot, maybe some generic computer glasses will help. Now that you mention it that flicker is a little noticeable
You should switch back to an LCD screen. CRTs flicker, while LCD monitors don't. Your eye strain will be exacerbated by the CRT.
I'd suggest an LCD monitor with a larger text setting.
Quote:Eye strain, the difference between LCD and CRT screens
Why LCD screens do not cause eyestrain due to flicker.
1. CRT's use phosphor to create light by being excited by the electron beam. After the phosphor is excited, it begins to decay (lose light output).
The electron beam needs to return to the phosphor in a specific amount of time (13.33ms for 75Hz) to keep the phosphor from decaying to the point that the human eye can perceive it.
The fact that it relies on the human eye is why refresh rate/flicker is such a subjective measure. Each user will be able to perceive the Flicker differently due to their eye's ability to detect the loss of light.
2. LCD's do not use phosphor, but use a backlight, which is at a constant level. The image that the users eye sees is created by controlling the LCD material at each pixel.
Since this is a fixed pixel display each pixel is controlled by a transistor that holds its state until told to change states.
So... the difference is that a CRT's phosphor decays and needs to be updated to maintain the light level, where a LCD does not decay and only changes light output levels when instructed to do so by the graphics board.
LINK
also ...
Quote:Eye Ergonomics
Top
The digital flat panel monitors are also called "soft" screens, since their images seems to have a "softer" quality than those from traditional CRT monitors. The image does not flicker thus causing less eye strain.
People, like myself, who have become accustomed to these soft images will not return to the traditional monitors. I cannot express this with enough emphasis: The flat display is the best monitor available. It is so good to your eyes!
Modern research has shown that a steadily illuminated screen image is a very important element in a good work environment. The eye responds to all light impressions, and the brain interprets all light impressions continually. When a mediocre monitor flickers, the brain will continually receive superfluous light impressions "noise" to sort out. Thus the brain works permanent overtime interpreting the screen flicker. No wonder that people get tired from watching their monitors.
At the same time the LCD screen is by far the most environmentally safe product. These flat screens emit zero radiation, and they consume significantly less power than the traditional monitors. Another reason to expect LCD screens to become the monitors of the future.
No refresh rate
A big advantage in the LCD screen is that it does not flicker. Traditional CRT monitors flicker all the time which is not ideal. Of course the best CRT monitors have a high refresh rate (85 Hz or more), which provides a very stable image with no noticeable flicker. But the LCD screen does not flicker at all (when digitally connected). They have a refresh rate of 0 Hz!
Please notice that looking at LCD displays, you may read information like:
# Pixel Frequency 65MHz
# Horizontal 30 ~ 50KHz
# Vertical: 55 ~ 70Hz
This indicates that there is a refresh rate. There is, but it is only working when the screen image is changing. So if you move a window across the screen, the changes will be updated with a refresh rate of 60 Hz or what ever you choose.
To many users this does not really matter; using Office programs, most of the time the screen image does not change, hence it does not flicker. Obviously it is a problem if you expect to use your flat panel monitor to show full motion videos or games.
LINK.
There's a tool you can use to make text easier to read on an LCD screen. Scroll down to download the ClearType Tuner.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Also, if the CRT flicker is visible, try increasing the refresh rate. Originally, screens refreshed at 60 hertz, and a lot still default to this. 60 hertz is just at the limit of human discernability. Upping the refresh rate to 70 or 72 hertz usually fixes the problem.
Finally, those who use reading glasses may need to get specialty glasses for use with computers (as mentioned above). Although it is possible to get "constant-focus" bifocals which will do the same job.
Oops, Tico already posted the bit about refresh rates. Oh, well.
I actually have more eyestrain with my new LCD than with my old CRT. IT starts as soon as i start looking at this screen. I get headaches and my head feels "buzzy" for a few hours after i use the computer. I think the bottom line is refresh rate, because on my crt i could crank it up to 100 hertz and virtually all eye strain was eliminated. On my new 19" lcd, the max is 75 and the suggested is only 60, and i can definately notice the flickering, which is odd because i read that LCDs don't flicker.
What brand/model of LCD do you have, oliver?
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