I'm into IT too. I've been having this issue last ~5 years. I have instant discomfort when looking at screens. It seems I can't focus my eyes on the text. After few seconds of looking, I can tell that I'm trying too hard to focus , my eyes feel like they are going to flip and they burn, couple hours in the day with constant breaks and the whole body gets fatigued, I can instantly fall a sleep. Eye inflammation/burn and whole body fatigue are my only symptoms, no strain no migraines, no red eyes, no blur vision.
I'm 100% sure I don't have issues with the flicker as I can be all day in an office with tons of bright lights and flicker and as long I don't try to focus on a screen I don't have issues. I don't have issues driving at night either (in fact looking at distance relaxes me).
What makes me still work into IT all these years is being environment conscious.
I have noticed that I can't tolerate screen glare/reflection at all.
Wearing Gunnars + low brightness can instantly tell that I feel sharper contrast and they help + no lights or not being near window makes me last ~4h with constant breaks and discomfort all the time, after that the inflammation gets bad, then fatigue kicks, then some sort of depression/pessimism. The next day I'm fine, and thats my Monday-Friday.
Weekends I don't sit on laptop and feel like reborn.
Working outside in shadow with polarized sunglasses also gives me similar stamina.
Just tinted glasses (non polarized) don't help at all.
Eye drops, gel and ointment don't help at all either.
During last check the doctor said lets try Restasis/Cyclosporine for extreme dry eyes. Surprisingly they work good, single drop and I can work ~4h still with my Gunnars BUT under glare/lights, however after that I think the inflammation is even worse, since I don't take as often breaks. The dose is every 12h, however I take it only in the morning, as in the evening I don't have problems falling a sleep and not using laptop. I wish I could just take it on 4h and be fine throughout the day.
What also I have noticed is taking single extra strength Excedrin (over the counter headache pill) works exactly same as single Restasis drop, can tolerate half working day. I don't wait burn/headache to kick, I simply take it in the morning before I start working if I know I have to sit with coworkers under lights or being on the laptop during long meetings.
Overall I try to work remote. If I have to go to the office I sit in a meeting room with turned lights off or outside. During meetings I try not to open my laptop.
I have tried different CCFL and LED monitors and I think the glossy vs mate matters more to me than the backlit (in fact I was using CCFL mate monitors when this issue started out of nowhere. Walked in the office in the morning, turned my monitor on and learnt I can't hold my focus, it was such a shock!)
I'm 30. Fit person. No health issues history. . except 10+y ago during dead lift I did some bad move. Every couple years what seems out of nowhere I get pinched nerve in the lower back.
I get so inflaminated that a have to take Prednisone steroids for a week. The irony is those are anti inflamatory steroids and I don't have the eyes problem then, I lay on the floor and have the most productive work week 🙂
Naphcon A drops also help, I took them once for a week but I'm scared to use them regularly not to backfire.
...Over all these years I don't think the situation is improving or worsening. Recently I changed jobs and took 1.5 months gap. I had exactly 0 days with issues. When I started my new job I think I was more tolerant first ~2 weeks, then things went back to normal/bad....Maybe if take 1+y gap the eyes/brain can heal itself!?
In the past I had taken 3w max off and the symptoms were back the first day at work.
...Just ordered the Dasung HD to see if that can improve things 🙂
...This weekend I got Samsung Chromebook 3 XE501C13-KO. I wanted to give it a try to different OS (Chromium). Very shitty performance. It's mate, low resolution, it kinda gets paper like feel or maybe it's placebo :S gonna give it few more days a try before returning it.