ensete Thanks for that long post ensete. I always have time for what you have to say. Your issue is definitely a fascinating one given that you were able to pinpoint it down to something as specific as color schemes!
I totally agree that the issue is more likely with the brain than the eyes. That's where the odd sensation will start, and although it has aching eyeballs that comes along with it, it almost seems like it's coming from behind the eyeballs (like where the head of the optic nerve is). That's just me speculating though.
It's so odd how some monitors will give me an instant "eye-grain" I want to call it (within a couple minutes). There's various different computer monitors throughout the office, and when working deskside with certain people, I have quickly learned the ones that give me instant problems. Here's a short list:
- Dell P1913
- Dell U2413
- Dell U2713H
I first knew something was up way back in December 2011 when I built a brand new gaming PC with a Samsung SyncMaster S24A850DW, and I suddenly didn't want to use it because of the way it made me feel. It was similar to the symptoms the monitors in the list above would give me. Instead, I sold the like-new monitor at a -60% firesale to a friend/colleague at work who's still using it to this day.
The only lowest common denominator I was able to come up with was the LED backlight. All operating systems were Windows 7, with the Samsung being used on a Zotac GeForce GTX 580 AMP! and the work monitors being used on an Intel HD Graphics 4000 (likely integrated given the small form factor of the Optiplex 9010 housing it).
The setup I'm using both at home and work that avoid this type of headache (aside from pure reading overuse headache, which is a different set of symptoms), is a Dell U2410 on 0% brightness, "Warm" color scheme, and f.lux enabled @ 5000K. When working on color-sensitive work like web graphics, I will revert my monitor setting to default, and disable f.lux. This will cause my "eye-grain" symptoms I described above with a sharp "cold" pain behind the eyes, and a pain deep in the head. This is still tolerable for a few hours though, as it's not as bad as an LED monitor.
Interestingly enough, I was diagnosed as having "Irlen Syndrome" back in April 2014 by an Irlen consultant, but since I wasn't able to find any Irlen lenses that seemed to make a big difference, I basically just "considered" the theory and kept it in the back of my mind.
Perhaps avoidance isn't the best long-term strategy, but for a few years now, it has been working for me. I basically just refuse to look at any person's monitor at work that is an LED, preferring to remote into their PC using Skype for Business and talk on the phone. Hey, whatever works right!?