pjw_ Hmm, that is interesting.
Historically, Ledstrain was created as a community that tried to figure out what was happening with older tech and software. Spoiler: mostly dithering and PWM. So most of the threads and complaints here describe eyestrain, headache but there are way fewer complaints about light sensitivity.
On the other hand, on a huge Russian tech forum, there is a way newer thread where people complain mostly about modern smartphones, and light sensitivity is a complaint that often accompanies that struggle. I am one of those people. While both forums have all kinds of problems discussed, most of the participants have different underlying problems with tech. There is also another huge Russian-speaking forum about monitors (thread about eyes started in 2002 and has a few thousand pages), where light sensitivity sometimes arises. It seems that in the English-speaking internet, this complaint is instead scattered among review pages of different monitors.
Now back to smartphones. There are a number of complaints that they do create eyestrain together with red eyes and light sensitivity (on completely healthy eyes). It seems that monitors are less problematic in that regard. Smartphones need high brightness, good readability under direct sunlight, etc. You can use Note 10 lite, and that is definitely one of the 'bad' smartphones, it gave me a lot of trouble. So if by chance you faced something that is similar to those complaints, it should bother you only on a very-very limited amount of screens.
Complaints look like this: https://libredd.it/r/Monitors/comments/pmmt2l/trying_to_reduce_eye_strain_and_headaches_from/

At this moment of time, no one can tell if light sensitivity could be also triggered by FRC dithering/other dithering/anything else, I just see that there are few complaints about light sensitivity in that regard.

I collected a list of every known problem so far, you can go through it and check if anything helps. The smartphone problem is named Problem X there.
Part 1 https://ledstrain.org/d/1404-eyestrain-triggers/11
Part 2 https://ledstrain.org/d/1404-eyestrain-triggers/12

      pjw_ While I am not sure which problems/triggers can lead to light sensitivity (and more importantly, how) I am basically hunting all light sensitivity complaints in order to find a clue 🙂

      • pjw_ replied to this.

          Mrak0020 It does seem that there are a large number of previously unharmed people joining the forum.

          This year I experienced big problems with three laptops (HP Omen 15-ek1018ca, Lenovo Legion 5i 81Y6003YUS, and Lenovo Ideapad 3i 82H801GGUS ) and one monitor (MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD). Very difficult to look at, with less time to pain (almost immediate), and more intense symptoms than previously.

          @pjw_ I had similar issues with a Lenovo Legion 5, but with a BOE panel. I found it significantly worse on Nvidia dedicated mode, but Intel mode was also unusable. I am very sensitive to OS-related strain but good-for-me versions of Windows did not help. The HP Omen had a similar AUO panel to your Lenovo Legion 5, and was also unusable.

              Mrak0020 Thx for the links. Pls give me a moment to browse through them - my eyes are already exhausted today :-)

              As for light sensitivity and Note 10 Lite - indeed, there is clearly a cutoff when brightness is too much for me. But the feeling does not resemble in any way what I feel on Precision and Legion (with Note it's like the Sun was shining too much, with laptops - the primary effect is that muscles around my eyes start cramping). Moreover, it does not matter if I set brightness on them to 25%, 50%, 75%… My eyes start hurting in each case (although they hurt more with higher brightness, but I guess it's a consequence of them being tired in general after a few months of "experiments").

                  degen Yep. I also noted that I see similar complaints here lately. While I was collecting info for Wiki and carefully read half of Ledstrain threads since the beginning, I noted the difference.
                  The newer Russian-speaking smartphone thread I mentioned has different kinds of people, but most also were previously unaffected, can use a wide range of tech. There are also notably fewer complaints about headaches and almost no about brain fog.
                  Manufacturers are doing their best, it seems.

                  • pjw_ replied to this.

                      degen on the second thought, not similar symptoms, but an increase in the variety of symptoms and in the amount of previously unharmed people. Anyway, it is very hard to make any assumptions based on Ledstrain because 1) assumptions are very subjective without statistical data collection, and more importantly, 2) the number and type of people who join the forum heavily depends on who googles their problems and where google puts links to Ledstrain.

                        pjw_ Your description neatly matches Problem X... but on the other hand, I still have no clue if something else can cause these same symptoms 🙁

                        @degen pjw_
                        Well well well. Checked what can I find in Russian about Lenovo Legion 5.
                        Very first search result forums.lenovo.com. Google translated:

                        1. "Lenovo Legion 5 laptop, I can’t sit behind it, my eyes hurt very much, although there is an IPS matrix ... I bought a lenovo ideapad gaming 3 laptop in February of this year, and my eyes also hurt from it, only many times stronger, just unbearable (it’s much easier with this legion, albeit unpleasant). I sold it, thinking that it was some kind of individual reaction to the matrix. ... I have never had such a reaction to the screen before - I have an old monitor with a TN matrix, a phone with an IPS matrix and an iPad with an IPS matrix, and there was no such reaction to them."
                        2. "Same problem.
                          Notebook legion 7 16ACHg6, 82N6000JRK
                          After a short time behind the screen of the laptop, pain in the eyes begins, strong tension.
                          In the evening, my head starts to hurt. People around noticed that an unhealthy gleam appears in the eyes.
                          I work in the IT field, there are dozens of monitors in front of my eyes, there has never been such a reaction.
                          The problem is exacerbated when you work with a large amount of text on a white background. It seems that it is difficult for the eyes to focus on the text".
                        3. The same crap. Eyes hurt (cut) after holding a laptop for more than half an hour. Notebook Lenovo ideapad 5 14are. All possible manipulations were carried out, nothing helps (there is no PWM. Full HD screen (1920x1080), IPS.

                        Search result number two, 4pda forum

                        1. "The other day I ordered a laptop Legion 5 15IMH05H - Type 81Y6 on the official Lenovo website. It has an IPS screen at 500 nits and 240 Hz (model B156HAN10.2).
                          I have been using it for a couple of days now, and my eyes are very tired from the screen. Even at low brightness, it presses on the eyes and temples, very uncomfortable sensations.
                          The display seems to pass the pencil test, and support claims that this model does not have PWM"
                        2. "What is your matrix?
                          I have BOEhydis NV156FHM-NX1 120Hz
                          Nevertheless, there is also a slight discomfort, I used macbooks before there were no problems"
                        3. interesting contradictory statement: "There was a similar problem only on Acer Nitro 5, my eyes hurt, there was pain in my eyes and my eyes could not focus on the text. I also tried different settings, reinstalled the drivers, but nothing helped. I suffered for a week, eventually changed it to Lenovo Legion 5 and the problem went away."

                        Search result number three, Ukrainian marketplace comments, Lenovo Legion 5 15IMH05. It seems this one has small sRGB match, 45%
                        "I highly do not recommend buying because of the screen, it's terrible. Firstly, this is not an IPS, but a WVA matrix, that is, TN with improved viewing angles, and secondly, the screen is dull, the colors are not natural, no calibration helps. On both laptops on the 2nd day black dead dead pixels appeared. Plus, it really hurts my eyes."

                              Mrak0020 Some of the new symptoms, especially with the Lenovo's, included one eye turning red, drooping, and spasming in short order -- a visible display that others noticed. I wonder if others affected by Problem X experience similar symptoms.

                                  OK, now I got curious - where are those same complaints on Lenovo but in English?

                                  degen red eyes, very often. Muscle spasm, not sure, but it seems I had them. I am not sure how to translate 'drooping'.

                                      Dell Precision 7760 seems to be absent on the market, almost no search results.
                                      The same with HP Omen 15-ek1018ca. Googled random HP Omen, goth this about HP OMEN 17-w226ur 3RM81EA
                                      "After 2 weeks, my eyes began to get terribly tired and hurt when there was not even a hint of discomfort on a stationary computer ... I don’t know what to do anymore."
                                      This is about HP OMEN 15-dc0019ur:
                                      "Terrible screen, eyes hurt after an hour of work, poor color reproduction (which is why I use it in deuteranopia mode).
                                      I bought a laptop in order to constantly carry it with me and so that I could play Overwatch, BF4, etc.
                                      I use it with a monitor, because the display is terrible. I tried to set it up through the Intel application, but the red constantly resembles acid red - it is either orange or acid raspberry. You can use color blind modes in games, then you can finally distinguish colors."
                                      I am not familiar with different laptop models, if there's some more specific model similar to 15-ek1018ca that is present on the Ukrainian or Russian market, I can check.
                                      There are very few reviews about lenovo ideapad 3i.

                                      Lenovo Legion 5 is an absolute winner (as there is no info on other contestants).
                                      One more complaint:
                                      "Hello everyone, I bought a Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6H, the first month everything was ok, I worked / played quietly for many hours in a row, recently (I noticed this after installing cyberpunk, by the way) my eyes started to hurt from the screen, both in different games and at work , while I already tried a bunch of settings in the Nvidia control panel, it didn’t help"
                                      And the final one:
                                      "The screen is weird, sometimes it feels like it hurts the eyes"

                                      • pjw_ replied to this.

                                        degen May I ask if this post on the Reddit thread was yours?
                                        "I have tried a HP omen 144hz, legion 5 144hz and latest legion 5 165hz, all been returned due to intense pain. I also tried a dell g5 144hz which didn't hurt my eye but returned as it had a fault it was a terrible laptop all round. ... If i cover my right eye i dont get the pain. I need ibuprofen otherwise. I double checked the 165hz panel its BOE."
                                        You mentioned Lenovo Legion 5, but with a BOE panel.

                                            degen Then there is a very interesting similarity.

                                            degen Drooping -> Ptosis

                                            Got it. I do not remember such complaints. Subjectively I felt at some point like one of my eyes is trying to jump out of its orbit, but I am not sure what it looked like, never checked in the mirror.
                                            I am now translating my story (finally my intro), will post it soon.

                                                Mrak0020 When you looked up laptops on these forums - were there any voices of people n o t having Nvidia?

                                                    pjw_
                                                    Hmmm, nice question. Checked all Lenovo models.
                                                    It seems all of them have Nvidia, except this one:

                                                    Mrak0020 The same crap. Eyes hurt (cut) after holding a laptop for more than half an hour. Notebook Lenovo ideapad 5 14are

                                                    I do not know what modifications of this model are available, but I see it with AMD in different marketplaces.

                                                        What about Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 2021 (the pro variant)?
                                                        Will that have the same issue too as Lenovo Legion 5?

                                                          Deepak Can't find any negative reviews, and there is a fair number of reviews. Either this model is better or still not enough customer reviews.

                                                          Still wondering where are all the reviews in English, which has around 1.35 billion speakers.
                                                          I was able to find only 2 complaints about iPhone 11 (technically more but few of them were written by the same person). And a few more on MacRumors. And I easily can find 20 in Russian (about 260 mln speakers).

                                                          Maybe there is some place that is not indexed by Google?
                                                          I also wonder what happens in the Chinese internet, it may hide a lot of interesting information.

                                                              dev