Computer monitors & eye strain
Discussion
I am currently using a 24 inch LED monitor which is hooked up to my laptop. The max resolution it displays is 1920 x 1080 and by technology standards it's fairly old (purchased in 2014). I sit a little more than 2 foot (60cm for metric people) away from the screen and not sure how much bigger I would want to go with screen size.
On occasion, I have sat in front of the screen for a few hours without taking a screen break (including the looking away into the distance trick opticians advise every 30 minutes).The following day I have really suffered for it and have eye pain as a result which ruins my day.
As some background; I have an astigmatism and fairly recently diagnosed with lazy eye which I have been given corrective glasses for. However, as I have started wearing glasses fairly late for the lazy eye, my optician couldn't give the prescription he wanted and has been ramping it up gradually so my eyes can adjust to wearing glasses. I'm probably not due for another check-up for a few months at least.
Aside from doing the obvious such as taking regular screen breaks, is it time for a monitor upgrade and would it be likely to help?
It gets a bit overwhelming when looking at monitors with higher refresh rates, resolutions, response time, aspect ratios. Then there's the decision between TN / IPS / VA? Flat or curved screen? LCD / LED / OLED?
I'm not using my computer for gaming so don't need a monitor for that purpose. Maybe a bigger screen size would help? If I got a bigger monitor is it likely my laptop GPU would be able to push out 2560 x 1440 resolution?
Any recommendations for monitors? Or whether it will even be a worthwhile purchase?
On occasion, I have sat in front of the screen for a few hours without taking a screen break (including the looking away into the distance trick opticians advise every 30 minutes).The following day I have really suffered for it and have eye pain as a result which ruins my day.
As some background; I have an astigmatism and fairly recently diagnosed with lazy eye which I have been given corrective glasses for. However, as I have started wearing glasses fairly late for the lazy eye, my optician couldn't give the prescription he wanted and has been ramping it up gradually so my eyes can adjust to wearing glasses. I'm probably not due for another check-up for a few months at least.
Aside from doing the obvious such as taking regular screen breaks, is it time for a monitor upgrade and would it be likely to help?
It gets a bit overwhelming when looking at monitors with higher refresh rates, resolutions, response time, aspect ratios. Then there's the decision between TN / IPS / VA? Flat or curved screen? LCD / LED / OLED?
I'm not using my computer for gaming so don't need a monitor for that purpose. Maybe a bigger screen size would help? If I got a bigger monitor is it likely my laptop GPU would be able to push out 2560 x 1440 resolution?
Any recommendations for monitors? Or whether it will even be a worthwhile purchase?
Assuming its Windows based. Incresing the size of the text might help. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change...
Worth looking at Flicker Free monitors. That's BenQ's terminology but other manufacturers do them too. ASUS call it Eye Care etc
Simple concept, uses a DC backlight rather than PWM for brightness control. Blurb here > https://www.benq.com/en-ap/knowledge-center/knowle...
I've had a BenQ one for a few years now and don't find it gives me any eye strain. Something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-PD2700Q-Anti-Glare-F...
Googling "Flicker Free monitor UK" will throw up plenty of options regarding size and budget from the various manufacturers. It's certain something I'd want in a new monitor if struggling with eye strain.
You may have to dig a bit deeper to see what resolution your laptop can support.
HTH
Simple concept, uses a DC backlight rather than PWM for brightness control. Blurb here > https://www.benq.com/en-ap/knowledge-center/knowle...
I've had a BenQ one for a few years now and don't find it gives me any eye strain. Something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-PD2700Q-Anti-Glare-F...
Googling "Flicker Free monitor UK" will throw up plenty of options regarding size and budget from the various manufacturers. It's certain something I'd want in a new monitor if struggling with eye strain.
You may have to dig a bit deeper to see what resolution your laptop can support.
HTH
For reference: this is my current monitor which I purchased back in 2014. I don't see anything about flicker free.
I set the brightness to 10 (out of 100). Generally I find bright screens uncomfortable to look at. Would a low brightness result in more flicker?
I will test out my laptop on my partner's giant Dell curved screen to see what resolutions would be available.
I set the brightness to 10 (out of 100). Generally I find bright screens uncomfortable to look at. Would a low brightness result in more flicker?
I will test out my laptop on my partner's giant Dell curved screen to see what resolutions would be available.
I've had a google and can't see your existing screen being noted as Flicker Free, given it's age I'd guess it's not. It wasn't a particularly common feature even 5 years ago.
Reducing brightness increases flicker on PWM dimming screens, at very low levels it can become very obvious, stobe like.
As "mmm" says it is now, so won't constrain your choices too much and sounds like something which may help hopefully. Any chance you could borrow a monitor off someone for a weekend to see if it helps?
Reducing brightness increases flicker on PWM dimming screens, at very low levels it can become very obvious, stobe like.
As "mmm" says it is now, so won't constrain your choices too much and sounds like something which may help hopefully. Any chance you could borrow a monitor off someone for a weekend to see if it helps?
M11rph said:
I've had a google and can't see your existing screen being noted as Flicker Free, given it's age I'd guess it's not. It wasn't a particularly common feature even 5 years ago.
Reducing brightness increases flicker on PWM dimming screens, at very low levels it can become very obvious, stobe like.
As "mmm" says it is now, so won't constrain your choices too much and sounds like something which may help hopefully. Any chance you could borrow a monitor off someone for a weekend to see if it helps?
I checked with my partner's screen and my laptop was able to push out 3440 x 1440. I have not consciously noticed any obvious strobe like flicker with my current screen. Reducing brightness increases flicker on PWM dimming screens, at very low levels it can become very obvious, stobe like.
As "mmm" says it is now, so won't constrain your choices too much and sounds like something which may help hopefully. Any chance you could borrow a monitor off someone for a weekend to see if it helps?
I didn't go into it earlier, but sometimes I play online poker and have about 6-8 tables tiled over the screen. On occasion I have played a few hours in one go and there is not much opportunity for screen breaks + I imagine that I blink less. The day after playing I have felt my eyes suffer.
At some point I can try the bigger screen and increase text size.
With modern advances in monitor technology, would it be worth shelling out some money anyway for an ultrasharp / ultra HD bigger screen?
Edited by g4ry13 on Friday 3rd March 17:29
I get eye strain on a budget AOC monitor.
I don’t get eye strain on a Dell P series monitor.
Exact same DPI.
So could be a factor.
I think the extra contrast and backlight quality is making the difference here. Although the DPI is the same, the Dell appears sharper. Black text looks blacker, the background looks whiter. Its easier to focus than the dark grey text on a light grey background the budget monitor can achieve.
I also noticed boosting the brightness and contrast on the Dell, doesn’t affect the crispness of text in the same way as the budget monitor. Makes a HUGE difference in the summer when its bright in the room.
Also, perhaps in the past your monitor was good, but backlights dim over time, their contrast ratios drop. 9 years old, the effect will be noticeable.
Is your partners monitor decent?
Can you use that for a while, see if it makes a difference?
Not sure what you do on your computer, but if its something you spend a lot of time on, its worth getting a quality monitor. I guess from the Ultrasharp branding you mentioned you have been looking at Dell. Something in their P series (prefix before the number) or U series would be good. UP series perhaps overkill unless you need professional colour accuracy.
Honestly would be looking to retire something 9 years old, things move on, including in the monitor space. I mean fair enough, you may not want to bother on something used to check emails now and again, but it sounds like you do use it a fair bit.
I don’t get eye strain on a Dell P series monitor.
Exact same DPI.
So could be a factor.
I think the extra contrast and backlight quality is making the difference here. Although the DPI is the same, the Dell appears sharper. Black text looks blacker, the background looks whiter. Its easier to focus than the dark grey text on a light grey background the budget monitor can achieve.
I also noticed boosting the brightness and contrast on the Dell, doesn’t affect the crispness of text in the same way as the budget monitor. Makes a HUGE difference in the summer when its bright in the room.
Also, perhaps in the past your monitor was good, but backlights dim over time, their contrast ratios drop. 9 years old, the effect will be noticeable.
Is your partners monitor decent?
Can you use that for a while, see if it makes a difference?
Not sure what you do on your computer, but if its something you spend a lot of time on, its worth getting a quality monitor. I guess from the Ultrasharp branding you mentioned you have been looking at Dell. Something in their P series (prefix before the number) or U series would be good. UP series perhaps overkill unless you need professional colour accuracy.
Honestly would be looking to retire something 9 years old, things move on, including in the monitor space. I mean fair enough, you may not want to bother on something used to check emails now and again, but it sounds like you do use it a fair bit.
Edited by wyson on Tuesday 7th March 22:55
Another option may be to consider slightly tinted glasses.
I use reading glasses as a simple prescription of +1.5 dioptres in each eye makes them really cheap.
The last couple of times I've bought them, they have been versions which are slightly yellow tinted, which are supposed to block some blue light and reduce eye strain when looking at screens - computers, iPad etc.. They have actually been quite effective in reducing eye strain.
I understand that you have specific prescription glasses, but you could try getting some clip on "shades" which are meant to do the same thing.
Something like these?
For £10, it might be worth a try to see if improves your experience before replacing your monitor etc..
I use reading glasses as a simple prescription of +1.5 dioptres in each eye makes them really cheap.
The last couple of times I've bought them, they have been versions which are slightly yellow tinted, which are supposed to block some blue light and reduce eye strain when looking at screens - computers, iPad etc.. They have actually been quite effective in reducing eye strain.
I understand that you have specific prescription glasses, but you could try getting some clip on "shades" which are meant to do the same thing.
Something like these?
For £10, it might be worth a try to see if improves your experience before replacing your monitor etc..
I noticed serious eye strain a little while back and ended up getting my eyes tested and was prescribed some glasses - which had a blue light filter coating on them.
I tried on the specs at home to work and one of my screens went almost totally black - the blue light output from screen (an LG monitor) was so extreme there was almost no other light being emitted whereas my iMac screen was identical with/without the specs!
I disconnected that screen and purchased a replacement additional screen and have never needed the glasses since and the headache/eye strain has disappeared completely
I tried on the specs at home to work and one of my screens went almost totally black - the blue light output from screen (an LG monitor) was so extreme there was almost no other light being emitted whereas my iMac screen was identical with/without the specs!
I disconnected that screen and purchased a replacement additional screen and have never needed the glasses since and the headache/eye strain has disappeared completely
C n C said:
Another option may be to consider slightly tinted glasses..........
I understand that you have specific prescription glasses, but you could try getting some clip on "shades" which are meant to do the same thing.
Something like these?
For £10, it might be worth a try to see if improves your experience before replacing your monitor etc..
I understand that you have specific prescription glasses, but you could try getting some clip on "shades" which are meant to do the same thing.
Something like these?
For £10, it might be worth a try to see if improves your experience before replacing your monitor etc..
Alorotom said:
I noticed serious eye strain a little while back and ended up getting my eyes tested and was prescribed some glasses - which had a blue light filter coating on them.
I tried on the specs at home to work and one of my screens went almost totally black - the blue light output from screen (an LG monitor) was so extreme there was almost no other light being emitted whereas my iMac screen was identical with/without the specs!
I disconnected that screen and purchased a replacement additional screen and have never needed the glasses since and the headache/eye strain has disappeared completely
I grouped both posts as it's in similar vein. I tried on the specs at home to work and one of my screens went almost totally black - the blue light output from screen (an LG monitor) was so extreme there was almost no other light being emitted whereas my iMac screen was identical with/without the specs!
I disconnected that screen and purchased a replacement additional screen and have never needed the glasses since and the headache/eye strain has disappeared completely
My prescription glasses do have a blue tint on them for the blue light. I don't think the clip on "shades" would do anything beyond what my current lenses do
Before I got prescription glasses I did buy some gaming glasses which had yellow lenses. They helped a little in terms of taking the brightness out of the screen, but not in terms of helping my weaker eye.
wyson said:
Is your partners monitor decent?
Can you use that for a while, see if it makes a difference?
Not sure what you do on your computer, but if its something you spend a lot of time on, its worth getting a quality monitor. I guess from the Ultrasharp branding you mentioned you have been looking at Dell. Something in their P series (prefix before the number) or U series would be good. UP series perhaps overkill unless you need professional colour accuracy.
Honestly would be looking to retire something 9 years old, things move on, including in the monitor space. I mean fair enough, you may not want to bother on something used to check emails now and again, but it sounds like you do use it a fair bit.
It's a Dell UltraSharp 34 inch Curved monitor which I think is fairly decent. I haven't been able to use it for any long period but will try and give it a go. It does strike me as being a bit on the large side.Can you use that for a while, see if it makes a difference?
Not sure what you do on your computer, but if its something you spend a lot of time on, its worth getting a quality monitor. I guess from the Ultrasharp branding you mentioned you have been looking at Dell. Something in their P series (prefix before the number) or U series would be good. UP series perhaps overkill unless you need professional colour accuracy.
Honestly would be looking to retire something 9 years old, things move on, including in the monitor space. I mean fair enough, you may not want to bother on something used to check emails now and again, but it sounds like you do use it a fair bit.
Edited by wyson on Tuesday 7th March 22:55
When working from home I do spend my day looking at the screen so probably worth investing in something decent. I had thought my current screen was alright but it's getting on a bit in terms of technology standards.
What size screen is optimal before it gets overpowering at around 2 foot away? 27 inch, 30 inch? Realistic budget for something decent? I don't need a super fast gaming monitor and not video / photo editing.
The earlier suggestion about increasing text size by speedyman unfortunately didn't work well with an application I was using and it struggled to fit on the screen. With increased text size I would need a bigger screen.
Depends on your work.
I always recommend people go to Curry’s PC World, plug in their laptop and try out a few sizes, see what they find comfortable.
Personally, I do a lot of text based office work and need the monitor to play well with my companies VDI and remote desktops, which are an absolute pain to scale.
I find old skool 93ppi to 100ppi at 100% scaling works best for my eyes text size wise and also saves from having to fiddle with display settings on VDI and remote desktops.
So I use the 2021 equivalent of this:
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-32-usb-c-hub-...
^ will have the same ppi as your current monitor, with more space. About 93ppi.
Something like this also good:
https://www.itcsales.co.uk/acatalog/Dell-U3023E-30...
^ will have 10% smaller font size than your current monitor, but with more canvas, esp in height. About 100ppi.
I find 27inch and 30inch sizes comfortable (although find the text too small on 1440p 27inch monitors at about 110ppi). 32inch is pushing the boundary for me, definitely a lot more head swivelling than I would like. Took me a while to build up the neck muscles when I first got it! But people here seem to comfortably use 43inch monitors, so its definitely a personal choice.
Hard to talk about budgets without knowing your use-case or size preference but a very rough figure for the two I posted above is about £500. The panel quality and connectivity options improve significantly at this price level, in my view is something of a sweetspot for value / quality.
I always recommend people go to Curry’s PC World, plug in their laptop and try out a few sizes, see what they find comfortable.
Personally, I do a lot of text based office work and need the monitor to play well with my companies VDI and remote desktops, which are an absolute pain to scale.
I find old skool 93ppi to 100ppi at 100% scaling works best for my eyes text size wise and also saves from having to fiddle with display settings on VDI and remote desktops.
So I use the 2021 equivalent of this:
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-32-usb-c-hub-...
^ will have the same ppi as your current monitor, with more space. About 93ppi.
Something like this also good:
https://www.itcsales.co.uk/acatalog/Dell-U3023E-30...
^ will have 10% smaller font size than your current monitor, but with more canvas, esp in height. About 100ppi.
I find 27inch and 30inch sizes comfortable (although find the text too small on 1440p 27inch monitors at about 110ppi). 32inch is pushing the boundary for me, definitely a lot more head swivelling than I would like. Took me a while to build up the neck muscles when I first got it! But people here seem to comfortably use 43inch monitors, so its definitely a personal choice.
Hard to talk about budgets without knowing your use-case or size preference but a very rough figure for the two I posted above is about £500. The panel quality and connectivity options improve significantly at this price level, in my view is something of a sweetspot for value / quality.
Edited by wyson on Thursday 9th March 08:00
I checked at my workplace and they have 32'' screens - it's larger than I would like and also takes up a chunk of space.
My preference would probably be a 27 - 30 inch screen. 3840x2160 (4K) resolution. I'm still researching if there's much difference between the 1440p monitors and the 4K ones and whether the extra expense is worth it for my purposes. I believe that when it comes to gaming the 4K screens aren't good unless you have a monstrous PC. I don't play online games or do picture / video editing so 4K may be wasted on me?
Budget: I would like to try and keep it under £500.
This Dell seems to tick a lot of the boxes for me, but i'm going to have a look into other options at that price point.
Any suggestions / advice?
My preference would probably be a 27 - 30 inch screen. 3840x2160 (4K) resolution. I'm still researching if there's much difference between the 1440p monitors and the 4K ones and whether the extra expense is worth it for my purposes. I believe that when it comes to gaming the 4K screens aren't good unless you have a monstrous PC. I don't play online games or do picture / video editing so 4K may be wasted on me?
Budget: I would like to try and keep it under £500.
This Dell seems to tick a lot of the boxes for me, but i'm going to have a look into other options at that price point.
Any suggestions / advice?
I suppose you have checked your laptop can drive 4k? Almost all modern ones can.
On a technical basis, that is a P series monitor and will be decent. Good quality even backlighting, good contrast, good image quality, even on brighter settings, good connectivity etc. Only real ‘weakness’ seems to be it will only go to about 300nits, which is fine in most rooms, but not if its placed in an all glass conservatory etc.
For my eyes, I found 4k 27 inch looked pretty sharp on Mac and Windows. Was very good for text based work. Also could fit a lot of Excel cells on screen if required and you could move the monitor / head closer etc.
4k is a lot more flexible than 1440p for font sizing and scaling. 1440p looks pretty fuzzy if its not displaying at native resolution (too small for my eyes, suits some however) or pixel doubled to display 1080p (too big).
4k on a 27 inch monitor is just about sharp enough to allow you to scale the display in relatively fine increments, at least on Windows without it looking terrible.
On a technical basis, that is a P series monitor and will be decent. Good quality even backlighting, good contrast, good image quality, even on brighter settings, good connectivity etc. Only real ‘weakness’ seems to be it will only go to about 300nits, which is fine in most rooms, but not if its placed in an all glass conservatory etc.
For my eyes, I found 4k 27 inch looked pretty sharp on Mac and Windows. Was very good for text based work. Also could fit a lot of Excel cells on screen if required and you could move the monitor / head closer etc.
4k is a lot more flexible than 1440p for font sizing and scaling. 1440p looks pretty fuzzy if its not displaying at native resolution (too small for my eyes, suits some however) or pixel doubled to display 1080p (too big).
4k on a 27 inch monitor is just about sharp enough to allow you to scale the display in relatively fine increments, at least on Windows without it looking terrible.
Edited by wyson on Tuesday 21st March 21:45
wyson said:
I suppose you have checked your laptop can drive 4k? Almost all modern ones can.
On a technical basis, that is a P series monitor and will be decent. Good quality even backlighting, good contrast, good image quality, even on brighter settings, good connectivity etc. Only real ‘weakness’ seems to be it will only go to about 300nits, which is fine in most rooms, but not if its placed in an all glass conservatory etc.
For my eyes, I found 4k 27 inch looked pretty sharp on Mac and Windows. Was very good for text based work. Also could fit a lot of Excel cells on screen if required and you could move the monitor / head closer etc.
I have a fairly old laptop (Samsung Series 7 Chronos) - due an upgrade at some point! We do have a 3440 x 1440 monitor around so I can test it out on that. On a technical basis, that is a P series monitor and will be decent. Good quality even backlighting, good contrast, good image quality, even on brighter settings, good connectivity etc. Only real ‘weakness’ seems to be it will only go to about 300nits, which is fine in most rooms, but not if its placed in an all glass conservatory etc.
For my eyes, I found 4k 27 inch looked pretty sharp on Mac and Windows. Was very good for text based work. Also could fit a lot of Excel cells on screen if required and you could move the monitor / head closer etc.
Edited by wyson on Tuesday 21st March 21:30
The primary use of my monitor is general office work (email, Excel, Word etc.), I may use it for some coding - my current setup does this fine.
But the main issue is when I play online poker and then suffer with eye pain the next day - partly due to smaller font and also not taking breaks. When I play, I can only tile 6 tables on a 1080p screen and there is some overlap. The font is also a bit on the small side so a larger screen would help as I could increase the text size. More pixels would mean I could fit more tables on the screen and not have an overlap. Admittedly, 4K might be overkill for my purposes.
I have seen some other brands (BenQ, Asus) where I can get 27 / 28 inch 4K for under £400). I'm not sure whether these are better / worse than the Dell.
Post some links?
In general you get what you pay for. Non of these manufacturers can churn out a £350 monitor without cutting corners or the balance of features over a £500 monitor from another big player.
I found not being able to deliver power over USB C is a big price differentiator. The Dell you posted can deliver 90W. Very convenient if you have a laptop that supports USB C charging, can just power the laptop, use the monitors ports and drive the display all from the same cable.
In general you get what you pay for. Non of these manufacturers can churn out a £350 monitor without cutting corners or the balance of features over a £500 monitor from another big player.
I found not being able to deliver power over USB C is a big price differentiator. The Dell you posted can deliver 90W. Very convenient if you have a laptop that supports USB C charging, can just power the laptop, use the monitors ports and drive the display all from the same cable.
Edited by wyson on Tuesday 21st March 22:19
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