While returning a laptop recently, I asked a Geeksquad rep for suggestions regarding computer displays (I don't know who else to ask at this point) that were least likely to cause the headache / nausea / fatigue symptoms that I've been getting with all of the modern laptop displays and external monitors that I've tried.
He said to look for business-oriented Lenovo units since they were less likely to include the entertainment-driven visual bells and whistles that may be causing my visual issues. Another Best Buy rep recently recommended Lenovo Ideapads running Windows 11 home. However, upon reviewing the Ideapad and Thinkpad offereings it wasn't clear to me why the Ideapads would be preferable to Thinkpads for my purposes.
I'm posting to get recommendations regarding the above, and which, if any, of the Lenovo products are mostly likely to address my issues. Respondents are also free to tell me that I'm dreaming if I think that the solution to all this nastiness could possibly be this easy.

Separately, I've seen some posters here mention having purchased older Lenovos online on a trial basis to see which models might avoid the CVS or Cybersickness issues that other displays cause. I would of course greatly appreciate any suggestions on this front as well, as I could keep a lookout for any recommended models on Facebook, Amazon, or Ebay and purchase them if the opportunity arises.
Thanks to the board for any recommendations regarding the above.

Unfortunately, it takes a lot of use much trial and error to find equipment we can use, then further trial and error to find what the cause was (if we ever do).

With that in mind, I'd recommend simply trying as many as you can, however be aware that some of us experience less symptoms in a showroom that we would at home - I guess its all the other distractions making symptoms less obvious.

As a suggestion, have you tried any OLED screen laptops? they are more common on smartphones. They aren't necessarily better than normal IPS LCD screens, and in fact may well be worse because they have more flicker, but they are a very different technology so could be worth trying to see if it works for you. I use an OLED laptop for work as an alternative to IPS LCD laptop screens that give me migraines.

    @Seagull Ok, thanks. So it has 60Hz PWM. I'm currently able to tolerate many hours a day my Honor Magic 5 pro with 120 Hz PWM.

    My theory is actually that the lower the better. When it's the normal 240Hz to 2500 Hz my eye get bloodshot very quickly.

    I was almost getting the Lenovo ThinkPad Plus g4 with the e-ink screen with OLED, thinking also that the 60Hz would be better and then I'd have the e-ink to fall back into if my eyes get really sore. But then it seems now that Lenovo has whitdrawn it.

    Seagull I tried a Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 which has a touch-screen AMOLED display. I used this laptop initially viewing the native display and later using an external ASUS EYE-CARE monitor. Both setups gave me headaches/nausea/fatigue.
    However, I have no problem using my Galaxy S21 phone many hours a day. I guess that, for now, it's mostly still a mystery why some screens work and some don't.

      I have a Lenovo Thinkpad E570 and it does not cause any headaches or eye strain. I am very sensitive to most computers, phones and TVs.

        @voyager39 thank you for asking this question. I am also at the point of needing a new laptop and am trying to discover what laptop to try with the hope that it will not cause the issues you and I and others on this forum experience.

        For the last 6+ years I've been using a Lenovo Thinkpad x140e daily. This laptop has a great keyboard and an AMD processor. It was intended for school use. I've put in an SSD, changed the wifi module and upped the RAM, and run MX Linux 21.3 on it with no strain at all. I probably use it between 4 and 8 hours at a stretch.

        Now this laptop is old and slow, but is perfectly adequate for light programming and heavy text editing, which is my primary use. So why the need for a new laptop?

        I can run MX Linux with Fluxbox or Herbstluftwm with no strain. But this version of MX Linux is based on Debian 11, which is "end of life". When I tried the new MX Linux (23), it was horrible - stabbing eye pain, disorientation, blurry eyesight, etc. Antix also gives the same problem. I am wondering if this is because of the 6x kernel, but idk.

        One possibility is that a higher resolution screen will work better with the newer OS/kernel/software than this 1368x764. I can't go back to Windows and have never been able to grok Mac.

        What do you all suggest - does not have to be Lenovo. My preferences:

        • Good keyboard
        • Smaller size (13" ideal, 14" might be okay)
        • Replaceable battery
        • Upgradable HD

        Also, where would you all suggest purchasing knowing that a return may be necessary. (I hate having to return things and don't want to purchase a used computer from someone for this reason.)

        Not sure if any of this is helpful to you Voyager39, but at least you know you are not alone with this. Perseverance does pay off.

        Alec: I'm also upgrading an older computer, in my case by adding modern higher-speed RAM to a 2012 Toshiba Satellite laptop.
        Going forward, I plan to use computer vintage rather than brand name as my main search criterion. I'm thinking that the range 2013 to 2017 is a good place to start. The idea is to combine reasonable processing speed without having some of the modern screen features that cause CVS and/or cybersickness.

        • alec replied to this.

          alec
          Regarding purchasing platforms, I've identified four so far: Tekrefurbs; Refurbtek; Amazon Renewed; and Best Buy. I've only briefly investigated BB so far.
          Separately, I note that having the Best Buy Total plan (name may be off; they keep changing it) has been very helpful in this situation. The plan provides a sixty day return period for newly purchased items; all repairs and maintenance are included in the annual fee; and even the installation cost for my new 16 GB of RAM (to my surprise) was included.
          If it would help my old laptop's speed still more, I may add an SSD drive to the mix. Time will tell.

            alec
            In case this adds any value to the archive of success/failure data, I tried a 2017 HP Envy, but sadly my CVS/Cybersickness issues returned (headaches, dizziness, and fatigue).
            For now, I'm back with my 2012 Toshiba. Now that it has 20 gb of ram, the speed is fine for the time being.

            • alec replied to this.

                Voyager39 Yes, that is useful data, not the least as it confirms again that whatever we are experiencing is not "psychosomatic".

                Another "data point" which may be helpful to someone reading this thread and using Linux, I am finding that at least in my case, using hardware that does not cause issues with Linux using the 5x kernel, when I install and load the 6.1 kernel, I have an immediate negative reaction. Rebooting to the 5.10.188 kernel allows me to use the system all day with no other changes.

                Edited to add: the 6.3x kernel also is impossible to use with the old hardware/TN display.

                  Follow up question: Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 5

                  This model is offered with this screen: WUXGA (1920 x 1200), IPS, Anti-Glare, Non-Touch, AMD Ryzen 7530U or 7730U and integrated AMD Radeon graphics.

                  I'm tempted to buy it as it's on 45% off sale right now from Lenovo with return allowed. Has anyone any experience with this thinkpad or any parts of the configuration?

                    7 days later

                    alec I just bought a Thinkpad x1 Carbon a week ago and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same panel (14", same anti-glare and resolution). I really love this screen, especially coming from trying to make every modern Macbook work for me. This one is WAY easier on the eyes than any other laptop I've tried. I can actually sit and read on it without feeling dizzy and headachy. Can't recommend it enough! Did you give that E14 a try?

                    • zero replied to this.

                        Espers Hello, tha's great, what x1 carbon gen and resolution do you bought?

                            zero Newest Gen 11, I got the standard matte non-touch model 1920x1200. They are on sale right now and there's a touch model on Lenovo's site for a bit more $. Linux (Ubuntu) also works perfectly out of the box and is easy on my eyes as well. Honestly this is the best laptop screen for eye strain I've used in in the last 10 years and I'm also happy with the colors and sharpness even though it's not super high res. On a 14" screen I really can't tell anyway. I was bummed about having to give up my Macs because I love the OS, but Apple is doing something funky and I had to give it up. I tried every modern macbook but to no avail. Hope this helps.

                                Espers This is a great report. I'm very happy that you've found something modern. It makes me personally want to reopen my search and buy one. I've also had some success in finding and configuring a Linux version which is working perfectly (and without any eye-strain) on my 10 year old thinkpad. Some tweaking was necessary but now all is well and the OS is up to date, though still using a 5.10 kernel.

                                Those Carbons are beautiful systems. May it give you many years of good service!

                                  8 days later

                                  lenovo offers a few laptops with "eyesafe" or "low bluelight" certified displays. id choose one of those, personally i prefer thinkpads, because they are reliable, durable and do not use as much power as some mobile workstations or gaming laptops

                                  3 months later

                                  Spector that's interesting. What model number is it ? I'm looking for a laptop to buy.

                                    a year later

                                    Hi Folks! I've tried Lenovo Thinkpad Gen 5 (AMD) with no luck🙁. Tested it with Ubuntu 24.04.

                                    My configuration:

                                    • AMD Ryzen 7 PRO processor

                                    • Radeon 780M integrated video

                                    • 1920x1200 IPS low-power and low bluelight display

                                    General impression from laptop - solid and reliable, but display is not compatible with me - getting head pressure and headache after few seconds of usage.

                                    In my case display panel was produced by AUO - also good impression except headache. Surprising, according to EDID info this panel was produced in 2020 (not sure, maybe EDID info was not totally correct).

                                    Please share your experience, have you tried any other models or vendors?

                                      Lenovo thinkpad plus gen 4 is the most comfortable laptop I have used and its running latest windows 11. It is eink/oled dual screen laptop but the hinge twists so you can face the eink towards you and the keyboard. I strictly only use the eink side, not sure how the oled feels but its 246hz pwm on oled 57% and below. The eink is very fast and the ghosting isnt bad at all in terms of eink. I have done alot of windows tweaks to make the eink experience great. This also has intel iris xe which feels great on eink.

                                        kammerer thank you for your update, I’m about to get same laptop for work. Did you have the same problem with an external display attached to it?

                                            Lenovo Xiaoxin 14 is best for me, because it is lightweight. However now I am using a desktop computer, I haven't used laptop for a long time.

                                            kammerer I've never heard about it. Do you know does it work with Linux?

                                            The e-ink screen does not currently work on Linux.

                                            I consider the fact it runs Windows 11 though to actually be its advantage personally — it is literally the only computer that natively runs Windows 11 that I can comfortably use, which is huge for me as I can finally use a Windows PC that is fully up to date and secure like other modern laptops, with great portablity as well

                                            Even as someone typically sensitive to GPU and graphics driver-related strain, in addition to Windows OS version related strain such as the issues that are typically introduced in Windows 10 1607 and later on most PCs — there is something about the way the e-ink panel is connected in this laptop that prevents ALL of those issues from affecting the panel!! It is a completely pure image to my eyes! Even with full graphics acceleration in all apps and the Iris Xe chip in the laptop

                                            (Since it's a full PC it's even possible to work around some of e-ink's flaws like the grainy effect, by using the Windows High Contrast theme and a screen filter app that forces the screen to only render in pure monochrome, with enough optimizations it has it has now become the best e-ink experience i've used yet)

                                            I do use Linux in my workflow quite a lot though, so in the case of the ThinkBook I'll probably just install a virtual machine which the machine is plenty fast for, I don't see too much of a reason to install Linux natively on this laptop

                                            (My only other usable setups are either not portable at all, or older laptops that are so heavily modded, e.g. disabling gpu acceleration, that features like sleep mode don't work on my customized laptops. On the other hand, ThinkBook Plus 4 finally gives me every advantage of a modern laptop but without the strain lol)

                                              dev