What laptop spec would be most healthy on your eyes?

defenstration

Bought a Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop there about a year ago and it has been giving me trouble with my eyes - bloodshot and if I used it a lot, I would have slight trouble focusing the following day and would be seeing shadows, that sorta thing.

I obviously got my eyes checked and there seemed to be no majpr problems there so I'm thinking its the laptop. Got Dell to replace the scrren but that didn't solve the problem either.

So gonna get it replaced. I'm wondering what would be the characteristics of a laptop/screen that would be easiest on your eyes?
Should I go with or without that gloss finish? My current laptop does not have a gloss finish.
Also, would it maybe have something to do with the graphics card and if so, what should I go for next time in that area?
Do certain brands have a good/bad name as far as this kinda thing is concerned?

Here's the spec of my current display:
17" Wide Screen WXGA (1440x900) TFT Display
256MB ATI® Mobility™ Radeon® X1400 HyperMemory™ graphics card

Any help or advice at all would be appreciated.

Cheers.

majiktripp

I have an XPS M170 and dell 24" screen at home both which goto 1920x1200 resolution which for general web browsing or text reading is killer, I have to have the res down at 1280x1024 ballpark to allow for any kind of stress free reading of text. I would suggest lowering the resolution of the monitor to that figure and see does it help relieve your eyes a bit.

dulpit

I'm no expert, but would it have something to do with the resolution you're displaying on your laptop? Maybe with the higher resolution it's making stuff too small for your eyes, causing strain??

seraphimvc

take a look of its lcd refresh rate..the higher the better...that's the most important thing of a laptop...especially if you are gonna spend long hours on it...

Ghost Train

i presume you would have set up the display to the most comfortable settings you could
http://blogs.msdn.com/tonyschr/archive/2004/03/23/94391.aspx

Do you find the laptop text too small or not bright enough?

Lenovo/IBM have a good reputation for laptops, and the screens I've used have been good quality, also sony screens I've found good

Have a high resolution dell laptop. Only real problem is web browsing but use a web browser zoom plugin which sorts the problem

And taking regular breaks from the screen is also important, should be in any office health and safety manual
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/uniservices/infoservices/it/health_safety/index.php#eyes

defenstration

Cheers lads.

Have tried everything, including brightness, graphics card settings, etc. The native resolution is the only one that does not blur, and although the resolution is kind of small, I tried zooming in on all my documents that I was reading (mostly what I use the laptop for) but this did not help either, so I doubt the resolution is the problem.

As far as taking breaks is concerned, don't think that's the problem either cos its only since I bought this laptop that I've had this problem. I was spending the same amount of time on my desktop (also Dell) before that and never had this problem. I also work in computers and never had this problem in work for the past 5 years.

Refresh rate is set to the highest level, not sure off hand what it is, but I think I remember thinking at the time of purchase that it was pretty high in relation to other laptops.
I think the refresh rate is lower than my desktop was (laptops generally are, or at least were at the time of purchase), so maybe that could be something to look into. What would be the highest refresh rate going on a laptop these days and would you have to pay extra for it? Don't get me wrong, if it means keeping me from going blind, I'll do what it takes! But just wondering...

Cheers again lads...

johnwrites

Have you been to optician? I recall when I worked in a certain place we had to go to optician for some special eye test to do with using a computer. Can't remember details, sorry
EDIT I see you did, had not read all:(:(:eek:

defenstration

60 Hz is my refresh rate. Its the only one available on the laptop. Are there higher refresh rates in laptops now?

AlmightyCushion

defenstration wrote: »

60 Hz is my refresh rate. Its the only one available on the laptop. Are there higher refresh rates in laptops now?

60Hz is fine for a lcd. I think that's as high as lcds go. Have you tried asking someone else to use your laptop and see if it affects their eyes?

defenstration

Considered trying swapping laptops with someone for a week or womething but its a lotta work, especially cos I need my own laptop for a lotta things. I did use someone else's laptop for a day or two and it didn't seem to bother my eyes, but then I went back to my own laptop and for a few days, and IT didin't seem to bother my eyes for a day or two either! So I still wasn't sure!

Ah at the end of the day I've decided just to get a new one anyway. At this stage I'm just trying to decide on what spec/brand might be best for my eyes.

About the gloss finish lads, is that a good idea or a bad idea would you think? Or would a gloss finish give off a glare?

AlmightyCushion

defenstration wrote: »

About the gloss finish lads, is that a good idea or a bad idea would you think? Or would a gloss finish give off a glare?

From what I've read, it's a bit 50/50. Some people like it, some don't. Apparently it does give off extra glare. I haven't tried it so I don't know.

defenstration

And can ya get a gloss finish that you could take on and off at your will? If it is possible to take it off, I know you'd hafta take apart the screen somewhat but would that be possible? Is it a sheet of something or a spray or what exactly is the gloss finish?

seraphimvc

this is weird to me...your refresh rate is fine,i have been using mine 60Hz for about 3 yrs now...:)i am short sight myself so i practically concern on protecting my eyes.i will look away to far object once in awhile i am using it,just to reduce tiredness.still,wont work long on laptop,eyes will get tired and need to rest...compare to descktop...

but your case seems different...maybe you are using it in a dim light environment?LCDs are really bad to eyes when you are using it in dim light environment .

watty

And can ya get a gloss finish that you could take on and off at your will? If it is possible to take it off, I know you'd hafta take apart the screen somewhat but would that be possible? Is it a sheet of something or a spray or what exactly is the gloss finish?

No. A gloss finish is simply bare cheaper less treated surface.

It's nothing like 50/50. It's MUCH worse for eyes in all cases. The variation is only in how well a Matt finish reduces refections/glare. The ideal being 100% matt with NO reflection or Glare, which can't be reached. 25 years ago ultra fine denier matt black nylon stocking glued to a frame as a CRT addon greatly improved shiny screens. Home made ones did not work so well and could cause poor relations with older female members of household such as mother.

Avoid gloss finish. It is cheaper solution marketed as a feature. It gives headaches as your eyes unconsiously refocus frequently on the reflection, espcially if any movement.

For 40years people researched how to get an optical Matt finish to improve usability and reduce reflections. Originally all display glass was glossy/shiny.

It's nearly impossible for user to convert the glossy finish to higher quality more expensive Matt.

Selling "Glossy" as a feature and "better contrast" or "more vibrant colour" is worst & cynical marketing lie in history of Laptops to justify an inferior cost cutting product.

Other points
* In 1999 I discovered I was getting headaches and it was needing reading glasses.

* Some Laptops are interlaced, forms or backgrounds with single height pixel lines will flicker annoyingly.

* I can use my 1600 x 1200 only 15.4" laptop 16hrs even without eye /headache (my arms get sore though, eventually). In dimmer light I dim the screen. I avoid Sun or Spots shining direct on screen. Correct glasses.

* Switch on "Cleartype" in effects of Screen settings.

* The "correct" LCD resolution is the native resolution. Anything else is inferior and more eystrain. You can set a custom DPI (larger number means all fonts bigger) in display settings. The DPI you set does not need to be real DPI.

acerwarranty

I use to have 20/20 vision until last year when i started doing alot of website code. now i have to wear glasses when on the laptop when doing the code...the cause of my eyes stinging and going bloodshot were simply down to me focusing my eyes on lines of code and looking for characters and not blinking. by not blinking you are drying your eyes and not moving them.

Turn the brightness off the screen down... really bright screen setting causes issues with my eyes...if i turn the brightness down the eye strain gets smaller. I use the Acer (obviously lol) crystalbrite 15.4" and when doing normal work and not straining on lines of code looking for a comma or full stop out of place it is fine on my eyes.

Another problem is not looking at distance objects every few mins. this puts massive strain on internal muscles as you are doing really close vision work

defenstration

seraphimvc wrote: »

this is weird to me...your refresh rate is fine,i have been using mine 60Hz for about 3 yrs now...:)i am short sight myself so i practically concern on protecting my eyes.i will look away to far object once in awhile i am using it,just to reduce tiredness.still,wont work long on laptop,eyes will get tired and need to rest...compare to descktop...

but your case seems different...maybe you are using it in a dim light environment?LCDs are really bad to eyes when you are using it in dim light environment .

Was warned about the light alright. Was told basically that the light of the screen should match the levels of light in the room so I have been making sure that's the case but it doesn't seem to have solved my problem.

Suppose though that I might not be taking regular breaks and looking at far away objects, so that might be worth a try...

defenstration

watty wrote: »

No. A gloss finish is simply bare cheaper less treated surface.

It's nothing like 50/50. It's MUCH worse for eyes in all cases. The variation is only in how well a Matt finish reduces refections/glare. The ideal being 100% matt with NO reflection or Glare, which can't be reached. 25 years ago ultra fine denier matt black nylon stocking glued to a frame as a CRT addon greatly improved shiny screens. Home made ones did not work so well and could cause poor relations with older female members of household such as mother.

Avoid gloss finish. It is cheaper solution marketed as a feature. It gives headaches as your eyes unconsiously refocus frequently on the reflection, espcially if any movement.

For 40years people researched how to get an optical Matt finish to improve usability and reduce reflections. Originally all display glass was glossy/shiny.

It's nearly impossible for user to convert the glossy finish to higher quality more expensive Matt.

Selling "Glossy" as a feature and "better contrast" or "more vibrant colour" is worst & cynical marketing lie in history of Laptops to justify an inferior cost cutting product.

Other points
* In 1999 I discovered I was getting headaches and it was needing reading glasses.

* Some Laptops are interlaced, forms or backgrounds with single height pixel lines will flicker annoyingly.

* I can use my 1600 x 1200 only 15.4" laptop 16hrs even without eye /headache (my arms get sore though, eventually). In dimmer light I dim the screen. I avoid Sun or Spots shining direct on screen. Correct glasses.

* Switch on "Cleartype" in effects of Screen settings.

* The "correct" LCD resolution is the native resolution. Anything else is inferior and more eystrain. You can set a custom DPI (larger number means all fonts bigger) in display settings. The DPI you set does not need to be real DPI.

You say that gloss finish is bad because it gives the need for your eyes to constantly re-focus. But would that not be a good thing? I would have thought that having your eyes focusing at the same thing and at the same level for long periods of time would be more damaging than keeping them active while you were working? Just a thought...

Have tried the whole DPI thing and didn't seem to help. Didn't try it for very long though so might be worth giving it another try.

About the reading glasses, was told by Specsavers that I needed em but if anything it was harder to focus using them. Went to another optician and he told me that although one eye is slightly weaker than the other, it wasn't enough of an issue to need reading glasses...

How would I go about switching on Cleartype? Went into the Display menu and into the Boot menu but could see no reference to it...

defenstration

Cheers for all the suggestions so far lads...

AlmightyCushion

defenstration wrote: »

How would I go about switching on Cleartype? Went into the Display menu and into the Boot menu but could see no reference to it...

Right click anywhere on the desktop. Click on the appearance tab. Click on effects and then change the second drop down to clear type.

watty

defenstration wrote: »

You say that gloss finish is bad because it gives the need for your eyes to constantly re-focus. But would that not be a good thing? I would have thought that having your eyes focusing at the same thing and at the same level for long periods of time would be more damaging than keeping them active while you were working? Just a thought...

Have tried the whole DPI thing and didn't seem to help. Didn't try it for very long though so might be worth giving it another try.

About the reading glasses, was told by Specsavers that I needed em but if anything it was harder to focus using them. Went to another optician and he told me that although one eye is slightly weaker than the other, it wasn't enough of an issue to need reading glasses...

Go to opticans at END of day when your eyes are tired. When I started to need reading glasses I could perfectly read screen at 9.00am no strain. But by 6pm headaches and hard to focus.

Even today, 8 years later, I can read 1600 x1200 res 15.4" screen just about first thing in morning if I squint at it and not really at all in the evening!

You need to double the DPI at least to see much change.

Occasional changing what you are looking at may rest the eyes. Constant changing from reading distance to 3m+ distance due to refections (esp. moving reflections) does tire the eye muscles and cause headaches. Do not believe the current marketing hype. It was conclusively proved over 25 years ago that shiny screen = bad and matt screen = good.

It is true that some anti-glare / matt finishes will reduce the brightness and thus make the screen less good outdoor, but if there is glare/reflection the advantage is lost.

Some cheaper anti-glare finishes will slightly blur the image and reduce vividness of colours.

There are different types on matt finish instead of shiny/glossy. Anti-reflective and Anti-glare are the two main types. The higher quality and more expensive version of my screen was called "ultra-sharp". Both 1600x1200 options on 15.4" had matt finish.

cormie

I've just ordered a 15.4 widescreen laptop from Dell with WXGA+ 1440x900 with true life. How would this compare to the screen on my current laptop here: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5021WLMi_LX.A4605.055/version.asp

I have no problem with my eyes using the Acer screen so I hope I don't develop any using the dell one? I value my eyes and I do spend quite a lot of time on in front of the screen:o

Shad0w

I myself have a 15.4" Wide-Screen with True Life and I find it excellent for anything i want to do. Be it watching Movies or Playing games... I have never found it hard on my eyes, I have the resolution set to 1920x1200. I always use a very dark Background to make it easier to look at the icons and such.

gamer

I,M using a dell 1150 laptop,max res is 1024x768, most websites designed for that res or lower.ALL browsers allow you to use menu,view, increase text size,medium,large,largest.
I think crts are easier for prolonged use, most laptops,have vga out, to connect to monitors.IF using a pc for web/reading i always use 1024x768 resolution.try 800x16 res ,you may find it easier.
Just cos pc/laptop can go to 1200x100 res ,doesnt mean you have got to use it.go to ,optician ,maybe you need reading glasses,for pc use, some people need new lens,prescription every 3 years.
ONE thing i hate 1000euro,laptops with delux shiny glass slightly,infront , of lcd,screen, unless your,in a dark room, you get reflections on the glass.
if you order laptop,this glass is not mentioned in the specification list.when using pc ,dont have another light source,in your line of sight.Thats a gaming laptop,resolution way too high for prolonged reading/wordprocessing.