Eye Problems

Hi,

 

I have been having problems just looking at my screen lately. I'll be

working and I will just get this weird sensation and I cannot focus on

the screen. Its not necessarily painful its just that I cannot look at

the screen. The strangest thing is that I don't spend more than

2-3hrs/day in front of the computer. Has anyone had any similar

problems ?

have you gone to an eye doctor?

if you are talking about your computer monitor, maybe try increasing the refressh rate. some people I know have problems with monitors that have a low refresh rate. they say that they can see the flickering and that it causes a kind of head ache.

 

also (this is a stretch) some people are very sensitive to flickering light to the degree that it causes seizures (seizures don't necessarily have to be the flopping around thing, they can be just not being able to move or talk).

 

I would consult a professional if this continues.

When I realized that my small Sony laptop (12" monitor) was easier to read than my several 19" CRTs I dumped the CRTs, got 19" LCDs (Samsung Synchmasters) and have no more issues. Samsung's standard LCDs are great for photo purposes, incidentally...the bigger the better.

And you are how old?

 

Presbyopia - stiffening of the lens in your eye - starts to be a problem somewhere around age 40. Your nearest focus distance gets farther and farther out. Eventually you'll need reading glasses (or bifocals if you already wear glasses, or bifocal contacts, or a near distance contact for one eye and far distance for the other, etc.).

I've been using computers basically all my life, and have also had problems looking at screens from time to time, though not exactly like your problem. I recall a particularly bad case of it when I was around 10 and my eyes kept getting runny for several days - though of course that was back when there was no such thing as a low-radiation computer screen, and it was basically the same as sitting five inches in front of a tv. <p>

 

Even with a high refresh rate on a CRT, so high that supposedly the eye should not be able to detect it - I had a screen that ran at 105Hz, but still noticed it - over time it can cause discomfort if you're sensitive to it.<p>

LCD's, which don't blink in and out when the screen refreshes is much easier on the eyes, and I'd recommend that. Admittedly, you don't get the colour accuracy and depth of a CRT without shelling out big bucks, but I think that's a small price to pay for reliving eye strain, and you'd usually do proof printing in any case when working on something where optimum printing accuracy is of the essence.<p>

Hakon Soreide<br>

Bergen, Norway<br>

<a href="http://www.hakonsoreide.com">www.hakonsoreide.com</a>

Go see an eye doctor. But first a simple test.

- turn the monitor OFF and tape a newspaper (or some printed

material) over the monitor and try to read it for same length of

time as when you work on the monitor. If the same problem

occurs then it's your eyes... if it doesn't then it could be the

monitor (could be because there's a chance of a combination of

both).....

Depends on your particular eyesight, of course, but eye docs (most of whom are NOT proper MDs) like to recommend optically very inferior no-line optics and middle-distance prescriptions...

 

In general I think you're better off with the biggest possible monitor located at a comfortable distance...I'm reading my screen clearly with my reading prescription at about 30" right now.

Since I calibratet my monitor for foto purpose the screne got brighter and after about one houer its tiering on my eyes. Vuescan uses a gray background so there is less strain wen scanning. reading newspaper and such with all white back ground is hell.

 

Is it posible to switch between calibrated monitor and dimmed monitor without going truh the calibration riggermaron???

 

Best, Michel

I spend many hours a day in front of a computer and I know I cannot work more than 30 minutes on a display with a refresh rate less than 70 Hz without getting eye strain. This is a pounding pain in the visual system that really sucks. But I also had this diagnosed and intentionally brought out in me by an eye doctor at the age of 12 (thorough eye exam plus a trip to a specialist). Essentially, my eyes signal to my brain gets impeded and starts flashing on and off like a strobe light at random. The random discontinuity of signals caused headaches/eye strain that was rather painful. Learning to use my eyes through photography has lessened occurences of it (developing the eye muscles is what I suspect helped), but ultra fine motor control could set it off. Although, I have not had eye strain since a few years after I seriously took up photography with the exception of shrot flashes of it when using a computer display with a low refresh rate (which I correct before doing anything else).

 

And slow refresh rates are very hard on the eyes. A 60 Hz refresh rate on a monitor flickers in time with the alternating current powering your lights which can be very hard on the eyes. So first I would see if you can increase your refresh rate (Start->Control Panel->Display->Settings->Advanced->Monitor on XP) and ensure you have at least a 70 Hertz refresh rate (this may require reducing the resolution of your display if you have a video card with a slow RAMDAC). I know I am an extreme case on this one and cannot cope with 20 minutes at 60 Hertz without developing eye strain (an eye headache).

 

And as already noted, consulting a qualified medical professional would be wise. I have done so a couple decades ago and my symptoms have only improved over the years. And I know I am not trained nor qualified to give medical advice.

 

In short, yes I have had similar problems associated with computer displays, mine were a bit more disabling and the solution was to increase the refresh rate. That said, this may not be your problem. But I would start there, and if that fails then I would get trained and qualified help.

 

all the best,

 

Sean

1. go to eye doctor before doing anything else

2. get bigger monitor; one with minimal glare from reflections

3. set monitor refresh rate as high as possible

4. get glasses for monitor from eye doctor

5. set monitor to use "clear type"

6. make sure other lights in room are dimmed and there are no lights that cause reflection off monitor screen

7. take an eye break every 15 minutes or so and look around at other things (I would love to have some sort of timer that went off every 15 minutes to remind me to do this)

Monitor flicker that is imperceptible with direct viewing can often be seen with peripheral viewing -- face the monitor, and look off to the side, and see if you can notice flickering via your peripheral vision.

 

It surprises me how many CRT's are set at the default 60 Hz, with the users not noticing the flicker (which bothers me). But they'll often notice it with the peripheral test.

 

75 Hz usually moves flicker out of noticeable range for me, and is also safe for most monitors and resolutions.

 

Also see an eye doctor.

according to La Cie (which I have) refresh rate shoudn't be set lower than

75.0 Hetz

72 hz is the minimum, so they say. I think that's a load of crap, I can watch the monitor refresh if it's less than 85 hz. The CRT I'm typing on now is set to 100 hz. No problems.

 

DI

Something I've noticed with 2 pc's running Windows XP:

 

If I happen to turn on the pc before turning on the monitor, Windows XP reverts to considering the monitor to be some generic type, regardless of any previous settings. This is one instance where plug-and-play seems to become trip-and-face-plant. ;o)

 

Usually, the refresh rate is the pits. At least it's pretty obvious, and a re-boot with monitor on first will usually fix things. Usually.

 

Visit your monitor's website occasionaly and see what drivers they're offering.

I want to contribute in this thread an informative facts about Lasik that I found early , I saw it online in one of the Lasik site that according to a Market Scope study (March, 2003), surgeons who claim to charge less than $1000 per eye account for less than 3% of all LASIK procedures nationwide. Your procedure will change your vision for the rest of your life, so price shouldn?t be your major determining factor when choosing a surgeon. The least expensive surgeon is not always the best choice ? you want to find a surgeon who provides you with the best overall value. Ideally, you want a surgeon who not only has the finest technology, but also a wealth of experience, a dedicated staff, all at a great price. Also for those people who plan to have it there is a new promo called ?See For Free? Plan? 12 months no payment, no interest to help finance a new 20/20 vision. I will try to put the link here if our mods will allow it. Hope it helps folks.