Headaches from Monitor

Supermensch · 09-06-2012 03:34PM #1

I bought the Dell UltraSharp U2312HM a while back, and have been getting headaches and light-headedness from using it. It's not a common thing for me to get headaches from sitting in front of screens. I have no hassle using my Blackberry Playbook or a Sony Vaio VGN-NR32L, bar the usual eye tiredness, for example.

Because of this I'm considering selling the Dell monitor (which kills me, it's stunning looking

). Has anyone any advice regarding what to look out for in a new monitor so I don't have the same problem again? I can't pin down what may be causing the problem. The monitor's specs are here;

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&sku=613463&~ck=dellSearch&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=3

If anyone has had any experience with something similar to this and has any advice, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks in advance!

BostonB · 09-06-2012 03:42PM

Resolution maybe? 1280 x 800 vs 1920 x 1080

yoyo · 09-06-2012 03:47PM

Maybe even try adjusting the DPI, will make all text appear bigger, also set the refreshrate the highest the monitor will go, ie 60/75Htz etc.

Nick

riclad · 09-06-2012 03:53PM

Maybe reduce the resolution to 1024x768, most browsers have an option,
increase txt size .Standard 1200x100 res ,does not suit everyone.
Perhaps text font is simply too small.
most people use pcs,for webrowsing ,i prefer 1024 resolution on my 2 pcs.Maybe ,reduce brightness ,i set it close to zero ,minimum brightness.

Skerries · 09-06-2012 04:04PM

are there anti glare screens for monitors these days?

gerarda · 09-06-2012 04:11PM

Skerries wrote: »

are there anti glare screens for monitors these days?

I thought they were all 'built in' to the monitor itself? How close are you sitting to it and for how long?

Supermensch · 09-06-2012 04:20PM

Thanks everyone for the replies so far.

I've set the resolution lower, and raised the DPI. As standard I have the brightness fairly low. The refresh rate won't go any higher than 60Hz. I'll let you know how I get on with these settings.

@gerarda I sit around 2ft from the screen. The room is well lit, my desk is beside a window. I can go on the computer for around 20 minutes before I become headachey.

Has anyone used any computer glasses or filter screens, like these Gunnar glasses, something similar to them? Watching reviews, they seem to work for some people, but they're fairly expensive for what are essentially yellow sun glasses.

Leeg17 · 09-06-2012 04:46PM

This helps me alot.

Flux

coylemj · 09-06-2012 05:09PM

It's recommended that your eyes are level with the top of the screen, are you maybe looking up or down at the screen?

I don't think you can get flicker from a LED or LCD screen so the refresh rate shouldn't really be an issue.

riclad · 09-06-2012 05:10PM

i prefer to have lights off when using a pc monitor,
or at least face away from lights,
i presume you can buy anti glare screens on ebay,
I think they are designed to stop reflections onscreen,
is the monitor too reflective,
many people find many apple monitors ,too shiny, like looking at a mirror.
knock off room lights and see if you feel better.
its good to take a break from pc ,at certain time intervals,look out window .look at at something else.

ED E · 10-06-2012 05:41AM

Are you facing out the window when sitting at your PC OP?

Also, have you tried with the lights off?

Big Lar · 10-06-2012 08:41AM

Go to specsavers OP, that's what I did. It turned out that I needed glasses

Big Lar · 10-06-2012 08:41AM

Go to specsavers OP, that's what I did. It turned out that I needed glasses

coylemj · 10-06-2012 11:42AM

Did the glasses fix your double vision?

Supermensch · 10-06-2012 04:55PM

I tried using the monitor with the resolution lowered, it didn't seem to help much. Nor did setting the dpi higher, though I will be keeping that at 125%, it does make things easier to read.

I've installed Flux, I'll try it out, see if there is any effect. I did notice at night the screen is a warmer hue.

@coylemj I'm fairly eye-level with the screen, so I don't think it is the problem. However, I will be more mindful of I'm sitting at the computer.

@riclad The monitor is matte, so glare isn't an issue. I'll try out keeping the room darker, see if it improves things.

@Big Lar I've been to an optician (it's what I assumed might be wrong too), apparently my vision is 20/20, so I have no problems there.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know how I get on with this setup.

riclad · 10-06-2012 05:20PM

I have a vga monitor,19inch,
its great for youtube, movies,
i find it hard to use it for web pages,browsing,
i set brightness ,to minimum, zero, in monitor menu.
unfortunately ,on a standard webpage, i find it irritating as the white backround ,
IS way too bright for me.
Theres a program call powerstrip, allows you to adjust,color,contrast,
refresh rate,brightness in many detailed ways,
unfortunately i dont think it works on my os.
Windows 7.
Everything ,pics,images,video looks great, its just the whites are too bright for me.

go to pcworld, have a look at monitors, do they look better to you.
Try f8 safe mode, vga mode ,it uses just the basic windows driver.http://download.cnet.com/PowerStrip/3000-2193_4-14972.html
i wonder is there any program like this for windows 7.
Maybe try 800x600 resolution ?

BostonB · 10-06-2012 05:49PM

Personally I find its better if there isn't much of a difference between the ambient light in the room, and the brightness of the monitor.

Supermensch · 10-06-2012 06:09PM

@riclad I installed the powerstrip program. I'd say I had the same problem as you did, the changes I made to the screens appearance wouldn't stick. The monitor has a good few options regarding colour itself, so I made the changes manually there. I reduced the gamma and the contrast, and increased the temperature. I'll see how that goes.

Going into a computer shop and trying out the different monitors might be an idea, see if I notice a difference.

Regarding changing the resolution to 800x600, it would be sinful to use the monitor at that low a setting

@BostonB I hadn't really paid attention to the lighting I had in the room before, but that is the setup I would usually use the computer in.

yoyo · 10-06-2012 06:21PM

Supermensch wrote: »

@riclad I installed the powerstrip program. I'd say I had the same problem as you did, the changes I made to the screens appearance wouldn't stick. The monitor has a good few options regarding colour itself, so I made the changes manually there. I reduced the gamma and the contrast, and increased the temperature. I'll see how that goes.

Going into a computer shop and trying out the different monitors might be an idea, see if I notice a difference.

Regarding changing the resolution to 800x600, it would be sinful to use the monitor at that low a setting

@BostonB I hadn't really paid attention to the lighting I had in the room before, but that is the setup I would usually use the computer in.

Really you should be using 1024x768 resolution minimum on a computer. I know the netbooks resolution can be lower but from doing websites that is the resolution I target, along with many so sites may not even display correctly on a lower resolution, and i'm sure theres plenty of software applications out there that would be the same.

Nick

riclad · 10-06-2012 07:19PM

i mean try out 800 res ,for an hour maybe , i don,t recommend it as a working resolution.Theres probably a recommended time, to use a pc, take a break,to give your eyes a rest.
When i got my vaio first,i found it a bit bright ,even at zero brightness ,now i,m used to it.
if i plug it in to my monitor, its like the screen is 3 times brighter ,than my laptop screen.
IF i go to netcafes ,i find the lcd screens fine .
if using a pc, better to have the room light behind you, not good to have 2 light sources in front of you,ie light and monitor of diferent brightness levels.

wassja · 18-08-2012 03:38PM

Hi Supermensch,

I too get headaches from regular LCD monitors. I get less headaches if I turn the brighntess setting to the maximum. Sometimes it's enough to turn it to maximum to stop the headaches completely, on some LCDs it's not enough to make them stop completely. The reason for my headaches is the backlight of the LCD. It uses a technology called PWM. PWM turns that backlight off and on at about 200Hz which we can subliminally perceive and the flicker causes headaches and tired eyes. When you turn the brightness setting down, the PWM makes the off periods of flicker longer and you get worse flicker and worse headaches. Some displays even turn the PWM off at full brightness and no flicker is produced. If your LCD has the option backlight in its menu, then the backlight option controls the PWM and you should maximize the backlight setting instead of the brightness setting. Try it and write back if it helps!

Rambo · 18-08-2012 07:09PM

Supermensch wrote: »

I bought the Dell UltraSharp U2312HM a while back, and have been getting headaches and light-headedness from using it. It's not a common thing for me to get headaches from sitting in front of screens. I have no hassle using my Blackberry Playbook or a Sony Vaio VGN-NR32L, bar the usual eye tiredness, for example.

Because of this I'm considering selling the Dell monitor (which kills me, it's stunning looking ). Has anyone any advice regarding what to look out for in a new monitor so I don't have the same problem again? I can't pin down what may be causing the problem. The monitor's specs are here;

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ie&l=en&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&sku=613463&~ck=dellSearch&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=3

If anyone has had any experience with something similar to this and has any advice, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks in advance!

Make sure you have monitor driver installed

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/555/Product/dell-u2312h

this will give best performance from the monitor and may add more options
for you.

Supermensch · 19-08-2012 03:18PM

I should have replied sooner, my apologies.

I had been getting headaches for the past while outside of using a computer. I had tried eliminating the usual suspects (lack of sleep, etc.), but when that failed I decided to go off and see a doctor about them.

Long story short, after a battery of tests it turns out that I have something called Hashimoto's disorder (It sounds much cooler than it is

), and am now on these pills which stops the headaches. Since I've started taking the medicine I've had no hassel with the monitor.

But, seriously, thanks to everyone who posted suggestions. I'm going to keep on using f.lux as well as having the brightness lowered because they do both help with regular eye strain.

RUCKING FETARD · 19-08-2012 03:52PM

Supermensch wrote: »

Hashimoto's disorder

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000371.htm

RUCKING FETARD · 14-10-2012 12:53AM

Seen these googiling there so may as well throw them up here,

Gunnar Optiks Prescription Eye-Strain Reducing Glasses

http://www.pcworld.com/article/258302/gunnar_glasses_help_for_eyes_chained_to_a_monitor.html

Headaches from Monitor

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