Hi there,

I’ve been dealing with eye strain issues on certain Apple devices ever since I tried the iPhone X back in 2016. Since then, the list of unusable Apple products has grown much larger, and I thought I’d write down my findings and potentially try to find others with a similar device compatibility set. I’ve noticed a few key things that may be helpful in narrowing down what’s going on here.

To start off, here’s what I can use with no symptoms & what I can’t use without feeling some symptoms:

Can Use:
-iPhone 8+ (All iPhones before this are fine as well)
-iPad 6th Gen
-iPad 7th Gen
-Macbook Pro 2015

Can’t Use
-iPhone X/XS/11 Pro (PWM)
-iPhone XR/11
-iPad Pro 2018
-iPad Air 2019
-iPad 8th Gen
-Macbook Pro 16” 2019

Now, the OLED devices are kind of self-explanatory (PWM), but I was really surprised when I got the XR (LCD screen, has no PWM) and started having similar symptoms as with the OLED devices (After using the device for 20-30 mins, my eyes would feel itchy, and I’d have a throbbing pain around them). This continued when I got the 11, iPad Pro 2018, iPad Air, etc, they all gave me the same symptoms.

Just to make 100% sure this wasn’t any kind of user-changeable software/hardware thing, I have thoroughly messed with every possible display setting on iOS, and have gone as far as blocking out the Face ID sensor (Though I still get symptoms on non-Face ID devices anyway). I’ve also seen several eye doctors, been checked for glasses, etc, no dice.

So, the point of all this is: Based on my list of usable devices, the one thing that stands out to me the most is the A12 chip. Disregarding the iPhone X/XS/11 Pro (PWM), the clear cutoff of when these LCD devices started giving me symptoms is if they have the A12 (Or better) chip or not. I got this idea because a friend of mine let me use his new iPad 8th Gen recently, and I had the same symptoms. Considering that the 8th Gen is EXACTLY the same as the 7th gen aside from the A12 chip, I believe that this may be the main factor of whether a device will cause eye strain for us. Though, I have no idea what exactly Apple did with this chip, it may be that they started doing something graphics-wise in these A12+ devices (Temporal dithering? Some other kind of flickering? No clue).

Considering all of this, I’m posting this in hopes that there are others who have this same set of symptoms with these devices, and hopefully we can compare experiences with other devices or potentially come up with solutions. I’m especially interested in hearing if people with these same issues have problems with devices like the iPad Mini 2019 and iPhone SE 2020, as they have the A12 chip as well & I haven’t been able to test those out.

Most importantly, I also think it would be helpful to have an ongoing thread where we can discuss new devices as they come out and see if they give us the same issues. So, if your symptoms seem to only happen while on an A12 or better iOS device, please feel free to share your situation and let’s see if we can figure this out.

  • alie replied to this.

    Hi,

    First time I have experienced eye strain was two months ago, with a Samsung S 20. Before that, I have been using Samsung S7 without any problems for 2 years and an Samsung S 10e for about a year.

    With S10e I had problems in beginning, but I did not give too much attention to it , and now I could see why was that happening.

    I was using Apple iPhone SE 2020 since release, without problems. Then, I got a goid deal for S20 5G and I purchased it. It was first time that I experienced so heavy headaches and strain from one device. Returned it in 3 days.

    Then, I thought, it was because OLED, i will buy iPhone 11, it will be the last iPhone with IPS LCD. It was not so bad as S20, but I would get headaches after a day of very light usages, just checking sms and emails. So, iP 11 whent back, I am again on SE 2020.

    Currently, I am also using iPad Mini 5 and MacBook Pro 13 2019 without problems ( knock, knock ).

    Would also love to hear experiences with another devices, but I think that it is the end of the road regarding Apple devices for me.

    Can use:

    Ipad 2018 - with reduce white point on the first (lowest) or higher settings. With this turned off is ok for a short time, but then I get pain in my eyes. Its like its too bright even if I lower the brightness. (I have tried to 'trick' myself that its on when its not but it always seems to hurt unless I turn it on) BUT I had this similar issue with an LG G6 but eventually was able to use it with the screen warmness OFF (not exactly the same but you get me) and I dont use the ipad as much but I've had it a couple years now.

    Iphone 8 plus, seems fine but not used for significant periods of time

    Cant use:

    Macbook pro 13 2015, had to sell it.

    Would almost immediatly (talking minutes of use) get a significant headache that was like a burning pressure within my head, my eyes would get sore and hurt all round the eye (guessing eye muscles), afterwards I would have a 'hangover' from it for 1-3 days where the pain and disorentation would persist and gradually get better without use. Tried to get use to it for more than a year, sold it. Tried Ubuntu on it, W10 and a few other random Linux versions and still had this issue even with external monitors - tried all sort of color profiles and screen filters and running in safe mode (sort of helped that) but in the end it just wasnt usable for me.

    (Have exactly the same issue with a T460 that I had to sell and a work Dell lattitue, neither of which I could use for more than a few minutes without the same sort of pain, even with external monitors)

    Also anything with an OLED screen, my work samsung A6 has PWM at 230ish hz and I cant use it. The Dell laptop has PWM at 1000hz but even with external screens causes me issues (PWM affects me but not as intense as whatever dithering etc the Mac / Dell uses etc)

    I had a galaxy S6 years ago (broke it) that had an OLED screen that was fine though. Maybe it had PWM or maybe it didnt - maybe it caused all my problems who knows.

      17 days later

      HAL9000 For what it's worth, I found the iPad 8th gen to be extremely unusable, and returned it. Same with the newest iPad mini (also A12). My girlfriend has iPad 7th gen, and I don't remember it being that bad. Actually I tried the 8th gen based on my good experience with it, and the understanding that the panel should be very similar. I will try and spend some time with it.

      • bkdo replied to this.

          In my opinion the problem is software. I can use my iPhone 6 and my old iPad with iOS 10 for hours, but I have problems with my father iPhone 6s and iPad mini with iOS 13. I could use my grandma iPhone 8 plus without problems with iOS 11, but now with iOS 13 I have problems.
          For the l'iPhone xs or xs max it could be an hardware problem too, maybe oled screeen? I always notice a ghost effect of the words when scrolling, and I get headache in 5 minutes.

          degen That’s interesting that you seem to have a problem with A12 devices like I do. Have you tried any others? (XR/11/iPad Pro 2018, etc)?

            iMac 2017 is the most eye-straining device for me. I've accustomed to it little by little, but only after applying some tweaks (Gamma Control with max brightness, color profile, native resolution, etc.). I hope one day I can find a way to switch off temporal dithering on it.

            I tried to use this Mac in BootCamp recently, and to my surprise, it was much worse than under macOS. I felt strain after one hour (that didn't happen before: on the same machine BootCamp was much more relaxing). Scrolling was especially straining. I think this screen applies some PWM below max brightness. Plus it's a slow matrix. So it might be a hardware issue. People at MacRumors mentioned "screen lottery", meaning you may get a good or a bad Mac. I didn't try other Macs though, except in the store.

            As to mobile, I do not have strain from iPhone SE 1st Gen and iPad 6th Gen (2018), but I generally feel that my old Moto is more relaxing for the eyes. Not that bright and vibrant. My impression is also that with every version iOS has more and more vivid and bright colors. Right after I upgraded iPhone SE to iOS 14, I had to turn the brightness down a bit. Also, scrolling is easier on the eyes on Android.

            Among other Apple devices that I tried in the store, I did not like iPad Pro 2018 and MacBook Pro 16 (some sort of dizziness immediately). So this might be in line with the others' experience.

              A family member of mine who is doing visual rehab therapy at Salus University was told by the staff there that he should switch from Windows based machines to to Apple. We are currently use a macbook air and the symptoms are softer with that product.

              • AGI replied to this.

                annv
                iPhone 6s: scrolling with iOS 10 is much more relaxing than with iOS 13. Since iOS 13 I notice a bad ghost effect while scrolling

                • annv replied to this.

                    halkatzen Mmm, nothing personal, but I do not think there is a solid foundation behind that suggestion. There are plenty of people here who can't use Mac devices / recent Apple OSs anymore.

                      The foundation is that every experience is unique to each individual. Apple works for some and not others. In other words it's trial and error. Hence it is personal.

                      • AGI replied to this.

                        Sofista90

                        I have a similar observation: I recall that I did not like scrolling on the iPad after upgrading to iOS 13. I've turned on "reduce motion", but it's not much of an improvement.

                          halkatzen It would be nice to know if they think Apple is easier on the eyes because of the hardware or the OS and why.

                          I never used Apple before 2018. Since then I have been on a MacBook Air Early 2014 and I can handle it well. I never upgraded the OS from High Sierra, the version of April 2018, though. I struggle with an iMac 2014, but I can use it.
                          Instead, I instantaneously get eyestrain and weird symptoms, if I look at the MacBook Pro 2018 of a colleague of mine. He has no issues, so he always keep the OS up to date. I have no idea whether I can't tolerate the new hardware or the new OS.

                          I can use pretty much any Windows PC which we share at work. Some are on W7 and some on W10. I tried a 13" Dell Latitude laptop on W10 and I get symptoms similar to the MacBook Pro.

                              iPhone SE seems a lot better than my iPhone 8. Unsure whether it's the device or iOS 14+. Both seemed to help.

                                AGI have you tried to film the screens of these notebooks with the camera of your smartphone in slow-mo to check if they flicker?

                                • AGI replied to this.

                                    Has anyone tried the new iPad Air 4? Very curious if it’s usable for us or not. The iPad Pros were awful on my eyes, I’d love to use the Air if possible.

                                      Sofista90 No, to be honest. In the past I did use flickering devices all day long and never had issues.
                                      Moreover, I develop awful symptoms also in front of some modern displays which are claimed to be flicker-free.
                                      I suspect that for me it is something more subtle than flicker. For instance, in the case of my iMac, which I can now tolerate better, I can sort of see the pixels glowing. It is like I see each single tree of the forest and this drives my eyes and brain insane.
                                      I should add that in the past I turned unusable screens into easy on the eyes by reducing the resolution from native to 1024 x 768. I do not think that reducing the resolution diminishes the flicker.
                                      In any case, thanks for your suggestion. I will give it a go as it is not difficult to try!

                                          dev