JTL Speaking from experience with other matters, if one can demonstrate a reproducible cause and effect with regards to an issue when working with tech companies it goes a lot further then just stating the existence of a problem (my eyes hurt from $thing) and expecting the issue to be investigated and solved simultaneously.
I agree with this 100%. I’ve tried to contact Apple regarding this issue multiple times, and have largely been ignored until I recently was able to provide an actual medical diagnosis (BVD) and narrow down the issues as much as possible. For my case, I specifically pointed to whatever changed between the A11 and A12 chip, as well as iOS 14.7 to 14.8.
We may not be able to perfectly narrow it down to the exact cause (PWM, dithering, LCD inversion, vertical blank lock, etc), but I think it’s helpful to give them a starting point.
Zazu If the research were to exist, with hard evidence that LEDs/dithering/technology does affect ours, and potentially many other members of the public who are clueless as to why they are experiencing symptoms. We would at least have a foundation of evidence to take to our technology providers.
Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this issue was a spectrum instead of just binary yes/no to symptoms. It would also explain why each of us seem to have vastly different tolerances for certain devices.
From this article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-iphone-12-mini-makes-me-sick-literally
“IEEE Spectrum: Am I alone—or part of a small minority—in my sensitivity to flicker?
Raymond Soneira: I’ve gotten hundreds of inquiries over the years regarding this issue, with people complaining of display flicker causing a wide range of symptoms, from visual fatigue, to headaches and nausea, up through seizures and photo-triggered epilepsy—which is the extreme version of flicker sensitivity. In many cases the flicker is subliminal. Some people just feel unusually tired or uncomfortable and don't know why.
All display technologies can have flicker issues. Back in the days of CRTs, interlaced flicker drove everyone mad, though if you sat back far enough from your TV, like your mother told you, it wasn’t an issue. LCD displays, which are now all backlit by LEDs, do use PWM, but it’s the backlight that flickers, and it somehow doesn’t seem to trigger as many visual issues [as OLED], perhaps because it’s typically done at much higher frequencies. Also, LCD displays have a much slower pixel response time compared to other technologies, which reduces the amount of on-screen flicker. So right now, it’s mostly the OLED displays that I’m hearing about regarding this issue.
I’ve gotten emails from well-known television anchors and newspaper columnists, and many others that have told me exactly what you have said. ‘I use my phone, and half an hour later I feel ill.’ I’ve had enough people that I’ve known within the display industry tell me they have these issues, so I know it’s a real effect.”