• AbstractOther
  • Treatments, desensitization, pills, exercises - solutions

ryans I first discovered the issue in December 2011 when I built a brand new gaming PC, and bought a Samsung SyncMaster S24A850DW. A beautiful-looking monitor it was, but it felt like I was staring into a flashlight when I was using it, even at the lowest brightness setting.

Then at work when different colleague's monitors would get replaced, I would notice immediate issues when looking at the following displays:

  • Dell P1913
  • Dell U2413
  • Dell U2713H
  • Dell 1914S

I also want to point out that I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the displays above, as others use them all the time and don't complain. The issue is likely the one typing this message, lol.

I was given a Dell U2410 at work in June 2011, and it gives me no problems (aside from usual eye strain and fatigue if you use it too long without breaks) at 0% brightness, "Warm" Preset Mode, and f.lux running at 5000K.

Also interesting to note that even my Dell U2410 will give me issues that feel similar like the LED list above if I revert it back to it's default settings of 50% brightness, "Standard" Preset Mode, and no f.lux running; however, it will take orders of magnitude longer time to set in (i.e. 100 minutes versus 10 minutes). I will deliberately do this from time-to-time when working on color-sensitive work, and I just put up with the pain until I'm done my work, and then I revert it back.

Because of my findings above, I theorize that I am light-sensitive in some unknown way. However, I seem to be more in the minority of people here, who are more suspecting issues such as temporal dithering, or certain graphics drivers, or Windows updates, etc.

Peter If you know you have chronic sinusitis, is there something you can do about it? Did you get all other modern tests done?

    My findings so far are that Im getting all tests done (mri, checking for chronic sinusitis, thyrodid, tmj) and then I tried the exercises for seesicksyndrome. They seem to be doing something, as in the beginning they were very difficult, I had headaches ad nausea and that subsided. However they dont serm to be connected to this issue. It gives me faith however that maybe this issue could also be trained for, Im not successful so far though. Ive found one person that says they fotten used to it after 14 days and now the pain is gone.

    martin

    I have been diagnosed with chronic rhinitis, which is nonallergic in my case although there are foods e.g. chocolate that worsen the condition. The main symptom is stuffy nose, especially when in the inclined position. Due to this i very often sleep with my mount open which affects my throat, especially in colder environments i may even wake up ill (e.g. when sleeping in planes).

    Up to now I have not found a permanent solution. When in crisis i inhale various sprays, and this really provides comfort in the whole face, eyes and even body.

      Peter im sorry to hear that, at least the sprays help (even with the display headaches? Which sprays are those please, are they harmless and could be used every day?) And dis you have an mri done?

        martin
        I am using DEXA-RHINASPRAY Ν from Boehringer Ingelheim. And yes it helps with display headaches, i feel that i can tolerate more easily the modern displays. Unfortunately i cannot use it on a daily basis due to side effects. Only in periods of crisis.
        The thing is that as long as i use the spray (and it has a cumulative effect) the better i am with the displays, although i never felt totally cured.
        What puzzles me is that i have this medical condition for as long as i remember, yet in the past i had no issues with older displays no matter the time spend on the display. When i was younger i used to play video games for many hours non stop with no issue in any display, even CRTs.

        I have done an mri that shows nothing out of the ordinary.

          Peter Thats good. Im waiting doe MRI, in the meantime getting all blood, cavity, thyroid etc. checked. I also do wim hof method, its great in general but doesnt seem to help with this. However deep breathing or a session of such helps to lessen the migraine pain, as some migrns are described as lack of oxygen and subsequent dilation of the vessels in the cranium, and this helps supply the oxygen. I also plan to dip my head in freezing water next time I have migraine. If I could only have then while working on trigger devices and not the lingering pain after, it would be a small victory.

            martin I've heard oxygen therapy can help, but I've never tried it.

            9 days later

            martin I have been doing the cold showers for 3 months. I find it can kill a migraine pretty quickly or eye pain to almost no pain. I don't think it helps when you go into a flickering environment.

              jasonpicard Im happy to hear that! Did you try the breathing of wim hof method as well? It works well with cold and also great on anxiety and depression, which might be case of a lot of people due to our problems with tech. I am researching desensitization a lot now, as I think i wont be able to control all the tech thats gonna be around me.
              I went to a physiotherapist. She found out that when I stretch my sternocleidomastoid muscle as much as I can and turn my eyes a certain way, it produces similar migraine like pain. I even had this migraine for an hour after the treatment. I try stretching it all the time and it seems to do something, but not enough yet. It definately takes a lot of the pressure away before or even during a migraine.
              I am also not sure whether I want to call this problem migraine. I am not sure, but I think once migraine is triggered, it doesnt go away for at least 4 hours. My problem however is that the longer I spent on problematic devices, the longer the pain lasts after. If I do 10 minutes on new iphone, the pain will fade in another 30 mins or so. If I do an hour or more, well, you know how that goes yourself.
              Tension headaches however fall under a certain kind of migraine, so maybe its a better name.
              Sternocleidomastoid is also a muscle that is brutally neglected and shortened in people who use computers a lot.

              I think our condition must be tretable, as some people already reported complete healing with orthoptic visual therapy. Also when all common medical tests and MRI show 100% health, all that makes sense then is physiotherapy and alternative medicine anyway.

                martin interesting. I will look at that muscle you have mentioned. I don't do the breathing techniques because I discovered the cold from Jack Kruse and Rhonda Patrick. I have since watched Wim Hof videos. I was already doing the cold showers because they are incredible for being anti inflammatory.

                JTL I guess I wasn't using the internet that much. I have been using my phone and computer alot more lately.

                martin I looked up that muscle and that makes sense it would help with our condition. I have been thinking it is posture related for awhile now. I have been doing posture exercises for about two months now. I have heard that the cell phone posture and computer posture can lead to all sorts of problems

                Peter
                I have had similar experience. If I use an LCD, the next morning I almost always have a sinus headache. If I use Loratadine before using the LCD I am far better off the next day. Looking at the sun makes me sneeze which 23andme have found to be linked to photo sensitive epilepsy. there may be some histamine relationship in the mix?

                martin

                Personally I endorse this claim. Whenever i release the sternocleidomastoid (I am doing Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais for a couple of years) my breathing is more free, this improves my chronic rhinitis issue and in turn my tolerance to some of the new led displays.
                This has not "cured" me, but it does improve things which is of course important. In fact there are devices that whatever i do they keep causing me headaches.

                  Peter Maybe it takes some time to stretch the muscle well enough for it to completely cure us. At least hopefully.

                    dev