4 days later

I've had the hypothesis that display resolution could matter too. What baffles me a little is that my TV is "2k". It accepts 4k signals. I did have to dumb down my projector from 4k to 1080p, but 1080p is its' native form. It basically shakes the pixels really fast to simulate 4K. My current monitor is 1080p and the one I am eyeing is 2k.

thorpee Higher resolutions mean the UI needs to be scaled up. Which could lead to fancy upscaling that causes us issues.

Donux Now the problem is not eye strain, but motivating to do work rather than spend on social networks

😆 Good on you!

I asked that question, because historically I have always benefited from lowering the display resolution. In some cases that has transformed an unusable system into a perfectly usable one and for as many hours per day as I wanted. A change from day to night. I never found an explanation for the "trick", though, especially while most folks were going for the opposite, higher and higher resolutions.

thorpee Higher resolutions mean the UI needs to be scaled up. Which could lead to fancy upscaling that causes us issues.

Interesting. Are you referring to the native resolution / density of the pixels or to image re-scaling? Sorry, I am not very knowledgeable.

    Hi guys,

    I'm thinking about getting Macbook Air M1 since this hardware is great for my work. I'm very worried about eye strain since I already have a problem with it.

    I have glasses with blue light filter but they don't help much.

    Can you suggest good monitor to use with? I've seen Asus Eye Care monitors, are they any good? Is it just marketing?

    I've read about curved monitors being good. Anyone with experience on this?

    Any other recommendations on 27' monitor to pair with M1?

    Thank you

    AGI

    When we started getting higher resolutions of 2k or 4k they had to quickly find ways to make the buttons, menus and text bigger. That's when they probably started playing with dithering more at the OS level to smooth out any pixel based items that did not scale well. Apple probably established it all with the retina display. Thanks Apple.

    I feel like we are better to stick with lower resolutions so we can leave scaling at 100%. Like a 24inch 1080p or 27inch 1080p monitor.

      thorpee Apple probably established it all with the retina display.

      This is anecdotal, but I had no issues with any device, until Apple Retina came out. That started it for me.

      6 days later

      I disagree with the software assessment. My iPad, usable for almost 4 years became unusable around the time iPad OS release version 15. My eyes have the same symptoms that the newer iDevices cause. At first I thought it was hardware only, but now I think it can be both.

      thorpee Apple probably established it all with the retina display. Thanks Apple.

      The first Retina display that came out, though, looked so easy on my eyes. I remember looking at it in Apple stores back in 2013 and wishing I could switch my business Windows laptop to Apple. Now, instead I can tolerate only the new MacBook Air.

        I have experienced eye strain and blurred vision from using my new MacBook Air this past week for work. I can't focus properly on text, the letters go blurry and it stays with me for a while after using the laptop. I have had no issues like these with my (very) old 2010 MacBook Pro.

        What I've done so far, going off what I read here and other places, is lowering the resolution (I could literally feel my eyes relaxing, but it could also be that I'm used to my old MBPs resolution), unchecking the "true tone" option in screen settings and also reduce transparency plus increase contrast. And obviously do all the right things that I do anyway (taking breaks etc).

        Will give it some time to see if it helps things.

          I had problems with eye strain for years, with different computers. It all started 12 years ago when I was working nights on CRT monitor. Later, smartphone screens also bothered me.

          I recently got Macbook Air M1 and I have to say, I'm getting much better. Like advised here on forum, I keep brightness under 50%, turn off true tone and keep room light warm and minimum brightness.

          I feel so much better and I can easily work 8 hours with a few breaks. It saved my life.

            4 months later

            AGI Hi, sorry for replying to an old thread, did your symptoms ease with time?

            • AGI replied to this.
              5 days later

              AGI Wow, your response is a game charger. I'm investigating this issue now for couple of years and it seams like there is enough evidence to support temporal dithering, NOT display issue. Although this would also imply, I'd issue would be solved, your display will not be colour accurate. General rule in of thumb - there are no cheap color accurate screens. If you see someone is offering one (like apple), note it's at the expense of your eyes due to led flickering technique they employ.

              AGI

              The macbook air m1 is also the most confortable laptop for my eyes, the air m2 isn’t confortable. Did try other laptops or smartphones that are confortable for you?

              • AGI replied to this.
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                16 days later

                elililisa Any updates?

                I have the MacBook Air M1 and I'm having the same problem, I might return it for this reason. great performance and eye killer.

                eyestrainsolutions Did try other laptops or smartphones that are confortable for you?

                Hey, sorry, I read only now. I am using a HP ZBook Firefly 15 G7. I recently reinstalled Windows 10 from scratch and upgraded to version 21H2 / OS Build 19044.1889, and it is better than it used to be. I can handle it fine. Earlier I had had Windows updates blocked for 1.5 years but the laptop became problematic when HP customized software sneakily passed through a BIOS upgrade.

                I only tried the MacBook Air M1 in a shop. It looked okay, as the most recent iPhones did. I did not make a move and buy anything. I never tested an M2!

                Anyhow, personal opinion, we all have "different" eyes/brain, so what bothers me may not bother you and vice versa. I do not think there is any device that stands up as problem-free.

                  5 days later

                  AGI thank you for the reply. I believe a hight number of us can have a solution with current tecnology, but we need a big company to support an expensive study with people that have problems with screens, that will increase chance of sucess for a solution.

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