Anyone else get eyestrain from VGA LCD monitors?

[Kaido]

I've been getting some serious eye fatigue from using my 19" Dell VGA monitor hooked up to my laptop. I unplugged it and I'm just using the 15.4" glossy widescreen on my laptop right now for relief. Does anyone else have this problem? I don't know if it's the Dell monitor, the VGA connection (instead of a DVI connection), or my eyes. I don't recall getting eye strain on my laptop's TFT. Should I stick with a desktop & DVI in the future or what?

I should also note that I have tried adjusting the brightness and also the refresh rate to no avail. I usually keep my laptop's screen at maximum brightness and have no problems with it.

 

[insename2]

yea, tis kinda hard to read lots of small text trying to stay on the right line and all but at a glance it seems crisp... so idk...

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: insename2
yea, tis kinda hard to read lots of small text trying to stay on the right line and all but at a glance it seems crisp... so idk...

Yeah, I spend my days coding, so it's getting to be a big problem. I do system administration and web design for a living and attend school online, so I'm on the computer pretty much all day, every day except for weekends.

Do you think the problem will be alleviated if I invest in a higher-quality screen like a 2005fpw, or should I swap to a computer with a DVI connection?

 

[corkyg]

Since LCDs don't have refresh rates - changing that has no effect. Your sharpest text should be on the laptop at native resolution and then set for LARGE text. You should also make sure ClearType is turned on.

A DVI connection is a bit sharper than analog.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Since LCDs don't have refresh rates - changing that has no effect. Your sharpest text should be on the laptop at native resolution and then set for LARGE text. You should also make sure ClearType is turned on.

A DVI connection is a bit sharper than analog.

Yeah, I have ClearType turned on and the fonts are just as large if not larger physically on the external LCD than my laptop screen. Also, I haven't been able to discern a different between VGA and DVI LCD monitor connections (upon seeing them in person); they look the same to me.

 

[xtknight]

Yes, the VGA (analog) connection will make things blurrier the higher the bandwidth. The DVI connection will simply not display an image at high enough bandwidth but a perfect image up until the 165 MHz limit (if your graphics card's TMDS transmitter is competent). Always run DVI if you can. VGA can definitely make text on an LCD look like it does on an unfocused CRT even at quite reasonably now resolutions like 1024x768 and 1280x1024. Oh, and run at native resolution of course.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Yes, the VGA (analog) connection will make things blurrier the higher the bandwidth. The DVI connection will simply not display an image at high enough bandwidth but a perfect image up until the 165 MHz limit (if your graphics card's TMDS transmitter is competent). Always run DVI if you can. VGA can definitely make text on an LCD look like it does on an unfocused CRT even at quite reasonably now resolutions like 1024x768 and 1280x1024. Oh, and run at native resolution of course.

That's the thing, text is good on the Dell; it's sharper on my laptop's screen, but it's still quite good on the Dell. I'm running it at 1280x1024 native, too. *sigh*

 

[xtknight]

Adjust phase, clock, and sharpness (if existent) settings on the Dell VGA LCD until text looks sharp and see if you still get eye strain.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Adjust phase, clock, and sharpness (if existent) settings on the Dell VGA LCD until text looks sharp and see if you still get eye strain.

Where do I adjust phase and clock? Is that in the LCD monitor control system itself or through the computer software?

 

[imported_Imp]

Just wondering, how long have you been using said monitor that's giving you eye strain? I had eye strain for I think 3 months with my LCD in analog when I first bought it(went cheap, but satisfied). This was probably due to the new super low resolution and brightness I wasn't use to, but now I'm fine for hours on end. Meanwhile, just got a new LCD at work which doesn't run at native properly, and text is fuzzy wuzzy. Not getting use to that (strained in like 10 minutes).

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: xtknight
Adjust phase, clock, and sharpness (if existent) settings on the Dell VGA LCD until text looks sharp and see if you still get eye strain.

Where do I adjust phase and clock? Is that in the LCD monitor control system itself or through the computer software?

Both; you can use programs like softMCCS to control your LCD's parameters (some of which may not be exposed in monitor setup), or you can use your monitor's on screen display (OSD) to adjust it.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Imp
Just wondering, how long have you been using said monitor that's giving you eye strain? I had eye strain for I think 3 months with my LCD in analog when I first bought it(went cheap, but satisfied). This was probably due to the new super low resolution and brightness I wasn't use to, but now I'm fine for hours on end. Meanwhile, just got a new LCD at work which doesn't run at native properly, and text is fuzzy wuzzy. Not getting use to that (strained in like 10 minutes).

Going on three months, actually. The more I think about it, the more I remember getting eye strain and brushing it off as me just being tired. However, I've been spending 12+ hour days between work and school on it for the last couple of weeks and it's getting to the point where I can't stare at it without getting physically sick to my stomach. The brightness is great; I usually keep the brightness and contrast at around 60 because it's so bright, actually. The resolution is also excellent.

I've also noticed that it has waves. I don't usually see them, but it's like CRT refresh when you see it on TV. A little more wavy and very, very, very light. I don't know if I have a bad monitor or if it's just like that or what.

 

[vegetation]

What's the resolution of your laptop? Likely you're used to a much smaller pixel density on a laptop screen than a deskop lcd. A 19" desktop lcd is usually 1280x1024; that's pita bread sized compared to a 15" which might have 1280x900 or even greater. My 15" lappy has a 1920x1200 screen set at 137dpi so whenever I look at ANY desktop lcd it gives me eyestrain due to the text not being as finely packed together (think of printed paper text - high resolution laser output vs dot matix).

 

[Ricemarine]

Usually, LCD's have WAAYY brighter and HIGHER contrast than your laptop. So what I do, is since my samsung has built in tuning for separate tasks, I use that...

Internet usage = 38 brightness, 80 contrast
Text Usage = 16 brightness, 80 contrast
Entertainment usage = 85 brightness, 80 contrast...

Helps very nicely.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: vegetation
What's the resolution of your laptop? Likely you're used to a much smaller pixel density on a laptop screen than a deskop lcd. A 19" desktop lcd is usually 1280x1024; that's pita bread sized compared to a 15" which might have 1280x900 or even greater. My 15" lappy has a 1920x1200 screen set at 137dpi so whenever I look at ANY desktop lcd it gives me eyestrain due to the text not being as finely packed together (think of printed paper text - high resolution laser output vs dot matix).

Laptop - 1280x800 native
19" LCD - 1280x1024 native

Hmm, maybe that's it. I'm looking at the Dell 20" and 24" widescreen monitors right now; do you think either of those would give me eye strain as well?

 

[thescreensavers]

maby you shoud try thouse 3m things that go ontop of ur lcd or crt to preotect a gents glar and other stuff

 

[corkyg]

Some of your eyestrain could be caused by brightness. Play with that a bit. I had to turn down my LCDs because the room I use is not very bright -

 

[thescreensavers]

or maby it is bright on ur lcd but the backrond beond the lcd is dark

 

[Kaido]

I've tried the LCD at both bright and dim. Dim helps, but I still get eye strain. *sigh*

I'm still looking into new monitors. The 20" widescreen Dell 2005fpw has a resolution of 1680x1050. My current 19" LCD has a resolution of 1280x1024 and my laptop's 15.4" widescreen has a resolution of 1280x800. Maybe the higher resolution on the widescreen would solve my problem. It will still be a VGA connection through my laptop, though. I'm not sure if I want to spend $400 to find out lol. Any thoughts?

 

[rbV5]

When I'm working for long periods at the monitor, I like to use gray backgrounds rather than harsh white. It helps quite a bit, especially when the task rquires a lot of concentration.