Hello,

Since I still struggle to find any new setup that would work for me, I wanted to ask what computer/screen/OS do you use that you can work on at the moment?

Mine is an old acer5820TG laptop, connected via VGA to VGA cable to ASUS PB238Q monitor, running Windows 7.
HDMI connection (both HDMI to HDMI and HDMI to DVI) to the same screen gives me eyestrain, and regarding the laptop Im thinking of getting a used one somewhere for backup just in case, as this one is almost 7 years old and it shows.
My phone is iPhone 4S with latest possible OS 9, surprisingly no trouble with this specific one even though its retina screen.

Please share your setups. Also feel free to share where you are from, as Im curious if most people here are USA or actually all around the world. My country is Czech Republic.
The reason for this is that maybe we can have a database of setups here that people can try when they need a new setup/phone.

    martin I oddly have a 2015 Macbook Pro with AMD switchable graphics and can use out for hours on end after new medical treatment. Can also withstand PWM much better.

    I have a LG V20 phone running Android 7.0 (not sure of the exact version number) it works.

    BenQ XL2720Z with GTX 1070 is a bit uncomfortable. But I'm thinking it's more the screen then the GPU.

    I'm thinking of getting a 32" 1440p "monster" monitor soon now that my vision is improving.

      Right now my best setup is GTX 970 -> Windows 7 (it matters to my symptoms) -> BenQ EW2750ZL. I haven't tested VGA vs HDMI so I just use VGA to be on the safe side. 90% of my screen time is spent on this setup.

      For movies and TV I use an HTPC with GTX 650 -> Windows 7 -> Panasonic ST60 plasma TV and that is also comfortable. This is probably the most comfortable setup but it's not that practical.

      iPhone 7 Plus is the best smartphone I've used in a long time. It still could be better but I can use it long enough to get what I need to done and then get out quickly (a couple of minutes) without causing a headache.

      iPad Air 1 used to be a really good device but now it is just average since I upgraded it to iOS 10. Average just like the iPhone 7 Plus, but maybe a bit worse.

      None is as comfortable as I would like though and are cumulative in their effects necessitating a complete break from screens for a few days every couple of weeks.

      I use a GTX970, Windows 10 and Dell 2407 screen at home, and at work a 2013 Macbook Pro with Nvidia 650M with dual small Dell CCFL lcd screens. I also have a Dell 2410 monitor set aside, which is ok for me, for when my one of my 2407s expires.

      An iPad Air 2 is kinda OK for moderate stints, and my iPhone 6S is similar - usable but not bad for long sessions.

      TV-wise I have a 54" Panasonic plasma and it's great. What I do when it expires I dunno...

      My PC, usable as of now:
      - BenQ EW2740L @ 0 brightness, 50 contrast
      - Dell OptiPlex 755 (doesn't really matter because of the separate graphics card)
      - Arch Linux
      - NVIDIA Quadro NVS 295 + DisplayPort to HDMI adapter
      - video driver: nouveau
      - browser: Chromium
      - Windows 10 for me is not usable anymore on this hardware setup since they upgraded something, so I switched to Linux

      My TV:
      - another BenQ EW2740L @ 15 brightness, 50 contrast
      - Edision "Progressiv Hybrid Lite" @1080p as DVB-C receiver, very usable
      - ODROID-C2 on Android 5.11 with Kodi (for video playback), very usable
      - Nintendo Wii + HDMI adapter, very slight eye strain over time
      - PlayStation 3 with noticeable eye strain (not solved yet)

      My usable phones so far:
      - OnePlus 3 @ 68/255 brightness (to avoid PWM) @ Android 7.0 (7.1 introduced strong eye strain), best screen I've ever looked at, I use it multiple hours daily
      - iPhone 4 @ iOS 6.0 (7 was unusable), it's dead now but worth to mention is that as I was told back then by other users in the Apple Forum's MacBook Pro eye strain thread I tried several iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S until I found one that (for whatever reason) was indeed very usable

      What works for me:

      • iPad Air (first generation) running iOS 10.3.3
        set to lowest brightness with Night Shift always on the warmest color temperature. I can use this setup for hours with no eyestrain.
      • LG E500 running Ubuntu 16.04
        This is a ~5 year old laptop (I think it has a CCFL backlight but I'm not sure)
        I mainly use the command line and a command-line text editor (VIM) with gray text on a black background.
        This way I don't get eyestrain, but when reading black text on a white background I do get eyestrain.
      • LG G4 forgot to mention my phone. It doesn't give me any eyestrain at all.

      What doesn't work for me:

      • Dell P2412H connected to a Windows 10 Pro system (latest update) with a Geforce GTX 1070 graphics card.
        The only way I can use it (and still uncomfortably) is with brightness set all the way up, and contrast set almost all the way down (14%), and with a very very warm color temperature.

      Home PC: Dell U2410 monitor, Windows 7 O/S, custom-built machine. Can use with minimal issues for 8-12 hours a day***

      Work PC: Dell U2410 monitor, Windows 7 O/S, Optiplex 9010. Can use with minimal issues for 8-12 hours a day***

      *** (as long as I follow the 20/20/20 rule and don't overdo it, or I'll get strained eyes and/or a headache)

      Cellphone: iPhone 6S+ with lowest brightness and Night Shift on constantly. Can use for the few minutes a day I need to. Only long reading sessions will cause issues.

      List of Intolerable LED monitors
      -- Dell P1913
      -- Dell U2413
      -- Dell U2713H

      (This is what my colleagues at work seem to use. The monitor list above will cause an immediate ache in the back of my eyeballs and a sharp pain deep in my head in < 1 minute of exposure...)

      JTL Is that the one with high THC or high CBD? My brother's girlfriend is on medical cannabis oil, and it made her chronic migraines go away without recurrence! Potentially amazing stuff! O_O

      • JTL replied to this.

        MagnuM half THC CBD.

        Makes me too stoned 😛

        I can still program though.

        I don't drive so it's OK

        I recently got on Canada's medical cannabis program and I've been experimenting for about a month. I'm not sure yet if it's helped me or not in regards to my photosensitivity, but it's sure had lots of other benefits, especially with my other pain conditions and overall mood and well-being. I am doing a mix of balanced strains and also some pure THC strains, all dried. I tried oils but I prefer vaping.

        I was able to switch from my BenQ EW2440L to my BenQ EW2750ZL, and with less eyestrain. That monitor is actually brighter than the EW2440L, so I have improved somewhat. Too early for me to tell if it will stick, or if it's a result of my recent experimentation.

        One thing is it causes wicked dry eye if I dose too high. Small doses are fine.

        Super-dosing CBD is very fad right now. The first doctor I went to see about medical cannabis wanted me on 40 mg of CBD a day, which is insane for the condition I presented with (mixed myofascial and neurpathic pain). There is no evidence to suggest that CBD alone is helpful for pain, and it has some immunosuppresant properties that we have no long-term data on. Low potency and balanced THC:CBD strains really temper the psycho-activity of cannabis anyway. I found that when I could control my setting, strain, dosage, and method of ingestion it ended up being nothing like some of the negative experiences I've had in the past.

        • JTL likes this.

        My work rig:

        Dual Dell CCFL 22" monitors (2209, I believe) driven by an nVidia Quadro K420, on a machine running Windows 10 with the 2015 LTSB (so it stays on build 1511).

        My work laptop:

        Dell XPS 13, 2015 edition with non-touch matte infinityedge screen. Also running LTSB so it stays at 1511. This screen is INSANELY comfortable. The machine is only an i5 with 8GB, the cpu is SUPER slow. But it looks great.

        My home laptop:

        Dell XPS 17", 2011 edition. First-gen Core i7 and nVidia 5xx combo. 3D LED screen. Windows 7. This is also insanely comfortable for me, for daily use.

        My man-cave TV is an LG Plasma. Last one they made. 60PB6650. http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-60PB6650-plasma-tv

        My upstairs TV is a shitty bottom-of-the-barrel black-friday-special Toshiba LED. 49". It's not even a real Toshiba, it's some one-off panel they made for black friday at Best Buy. But it was $250. And I've got it calibrated so I can tolerate TV or PS3 on it.

          Gurm How's the Macbook working out for you?

          Which model and OS exactly?

          Just curious. Not having any problems with mine.

          15 days later

          My PC: Dell P2214H with old gigabyte Nvidia card. No eye strain

          Laptop: Dell P2214H with Intel 5500 graphics, no pain when correct ICC profile is loaded

          Other laptop: Ancient Lenovo T60, no eye strain

          a month later

          I get eye strain from PWM flickering and graphics driver. There may be other causes that I am not aware yet, but as far as I know, these are the causes that I have identified and confirmed.

          These are the list of devices that I can use without any eye strain whatsover:

          Laptop
          Lenovo Thinkpad T420s
          Screen brightness 100% and Intel Graphics Card set to Maximum Performance (to eliminate PWM)
          Intel graphics driver dated 2011. If I upgrade to any newer driver (e.g. dated 2013, 2015 etc), I get eye strain. Only the 2011 driver I get no eye strain whatsoever.
          Windows 7 Pro.

          Desktop
          CPU: Intel Core i5-4460
          GPU: PALIT gtx 760 jetstream 2G GDDR5
          Windows 7
          BenQ flicker free monitor (using VGA connector)

          Smartphones
          HTC One - SuperLCD3 display panel
          HTC One Max - SuperLCD3 display panel
          HTC M9+ Supreme Camera Edition - Super LCD3, Android 5.0

          TV
          Sony KDL-50W704A 50 inch LED Smart TV
          Samsung PS51F5500 51 inch Plasma Smart TV

          Here are some devices that I have tested and found to cause me eye strain:

          Smartphones - Note 5, Note 4, S3, S7 Edge, HTC U Ultra, LG V10, Huawei Mate 7, Lenovo phones etc
          Laptops - Lenovo T430, T440, T450, X1 Yoga
          TV - many Samsung and LG LED TVs (from looking at them in the store)

            Kray Smartphones - Note 5, Note 4, S3, S7 Edge, LG V10, Huawei Mate 7, Lenovo phones etc

            Yeah, I've tried Huwei phones in the past, yeesh are those screens painful

            • KM likes this.
            a year later

            @Gurm

            Do you still have the 2015 XPS and is it still ok? What GPU and other specs does it have?

            martin Aber hallo
            I have been using a MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014) since I changed job in January. At the start I had troubles but then I figured out eventually it was fluorescent and LED lights on the ceiling to drive me insane. Fearing for the worst, I have not updated the OS for the past 3 months. It is High Sierra 10.13.4.
            I would like to stress that in the past I always judged MacBook Air impossible for my eyes, by inspecting displays of friends or at electronic shops. That is another source of confusion for me, because normally I can immediately tell what does not suit me.

            As to phones, if you remember from my posts of early May I could not use my Samsung Galaxy On5 anymore without pain and strain after a software upgrade. I factory-reset the phone and I can use it again. I gave in exploring other phones. I bought three, last a Nokia 3310 3G, and, shocking, I cannot use that either. The screen is not the classic one of 15 years ago. It looks to me the usual useless upgrade. They did not improve anything except working hard to screw my eyes :-(

              Laptops: At work I use Dell Inspiron 15 3000 but not with latest the Dell display drivers. I have downloaded the Dec 17 drivers and i keep using these if win update changes to the latest drivers. At home I have an old Sony VPC 17 CCFL, however when i upgraded to Win 10 it does create some mild eye strain.

              Monitors: At work i use LG Flatron W1946 CCFL with very mild eye strain after long hours using Win 10

              Smartphones: Vodafone Prime 6 (2 years old) - no eye strain at all. I think TLC was the manufacturer for this phone.

              TV: i have a very old CCFL LG 42". I don't even remember the model but i will switch only if this TV dies.

              • KM likes this.
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