LCD display causes eye strain/headache/nausea

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Level 1

6 points

LCD display causes eye strain/headache/nausea

I have posted about this before a couple of years ago. And the thread went wild.....SO many people having trouble with various types of displays. I wanted to get back on the track for my particular display which is a 24" LCD -- ATI RADEON HD 2600 PRO 256MB GRAPHICS. A couple of years ago, I was only noticing eye strain after using it for a prolonged period of time. And if I didn't stop, then that eye strain could develop into a headache.

I have tried taking the brightness all the way down which helps somewhat. I try changing my chair position to make sure I am looking down towards the display and not up. I look away as often as possible to stop the focus on the display. It all helps.

BUT a couple of years have passed and I still am experiencing the same things....only it happens after 5 minutes of usage. And now I almost always get a headache, my eyes feel dry and almost hurt. My neck gets stiff -- perhaps from the expected strain I know will occur. And since a few months, I also notice a feeling of nausea as well -- like motion sickness. GOOD GRIEF is all I can say.

I love my iMac...... but have backed away from using it as I would like. And use my iPad most of the time now. It does not seem to cause me such problems. I know one of these days it will be time for a new mac as this one is nearly 5 years old. And I cannot say that I am keen at all to buy another iMac. Curious about all of you out there and what you are experiencing and could recommend to help alleviate the problems.

THANKS TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.4)

Posted on Aug 9, 2012 10:58 AM

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Answer 1

RRFS

Level 5

4,522 points

Aug 9, 2012 11:35 AM in response to lutra

There are many individuals that are sensitive to the flicker of light. Some are sensitive to flourescent lamps, some to the screen flicker of TVs or low refresh rate monitors. Some people have even had seizures from the strobe lights used in some stage productions. There isn't much that can be done to help these folks. Have you tried to wear shaded glasses or prescription glasses? This is really a problem that you need to address with a Medical Professional if you want a real solution.

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

239,057 points

Aug 9, 2012 11:40 AM in response to lutra

I have very poor vision, & in only one eye, I have a 2007/24" iMac & no eye strain here, in fact I've only heard of this on later glossy screen 21.5" & 27" iMacs. 🙂

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Answer 3

erict43

Level 2

165 points

Aug 9, 2012 4:43 PM in response to lutra

Have you had your eyes checked recently? Does this happen to you only on your iMac, or when you use any computer?

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Answer 4

lutra Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 11, 2012 2:08 PM in response to erict43

Yes, I did have my eyes checked when it first began. The eye dr. said it was plain and simply, EYE STRAIN. And it seems to only occur when sitting in front of my iMac. I have not noticed with my iPad or other computers.

Any suggestions of changes I could make on my iMac that might improve things?

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Answer 5

erict43

Level 2

165 points

Aug 11, 2012 2:14 PM in response to lutra

Have you tried using your computer with a lower screen resolution? I doesn't look as nice, but it does make everything larger. I had a problem when I first got my 27" iMac, because the resolution is so high, the text appears much smaller than I was used to, and I was getting eye strain and headaches too. After a while I adjusted to it, and it's no problem now.

If you want to try a lower resolution, open System Preferences -> Displays.

On Mountain Lion, you have to select "Scaled", and then you can select a lower resolution. If I remember correction, on Lion or earlier there is no "Scaled" option and you can select the resolution you want directly.

Hope this helps.

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Answer 6

lutra Author

Level 1

6 points

Aug 11, 2012 3:34 PM in response to erict43

I will give that a try. I am not using Mountain Lion yet. Still have LION OS X. I see that my resolution is set up for 1920 x 1200. What would you suggest?

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Answer 7

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Aug 11, 2012 3:45 PM in response to lutra

Yours is a genuine problem, and it will not be solved by changing the screen resolution which does not affect brightness or glare.

May I suggest you investigate getting an anti-glare screen filter? These are listed here on Amazon in the UK but I am sure that Amazon in the US (or whereever it is you live) would have them as well:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=anti+glare+filter&tag=googhydr-21&in dex=aps&hvadid=9510029705&hvpos=1s1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2050368072294766922& hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_3zcpi95y9s_b

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Answer 8

erict43

Level 2

165 points

Aug 11, 2012 3:58 PM in response to lutra

lutra wrote:

I will give that a try. I am not using Mountain Lion yet. Still have LION OS X. I see that my resolution is set up for 1920 x 1200. What would you suggest?

I would try the next lower setting and see if that helps. If it doesn't provide any improvement, then maybe the problem is related to glare as Klaus1 suggests. The good thing is that this doesn't cost anything to try it 🙂

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