So basically nobody really knows what causes the eye strain. I'm beginning to think the problem of eye strain is a multifaceted issue. For me the following measures collectively have made a difference. I can't say which one of them is the most effective one, since they all seem to help:

  • Increasing the font size and sitting further back, because it's easier to focus on "far and big" than "near and small". Also, near and small forces your eyes to converge (at the extreme you'd be crossing your eyes), which is also tiring.
  • Using the Night Light function in Windows (basically a blue light filter I think, the screen turns reddish).
  • Adjusting display brightness to match ambient light levels.
  • Using a monitor with deeper blacks for better contrast (this enables you to turn down the brightness even further and still see detail).
  • Using a flicker-free display. My Samsung phone is not flicker-free and it starts raping my eyes within seconds.
  • Placing the monitor at a comfortable viewing height, that is, with the top bezel slightly below eye height.
  • Using a larger display because a bigger screen keeps my eyes moving and refocusing all the time, depending on which part of the screen I'm looking at. On a small screen eye movement is more constrained and feels a bit like sitting in a plane seat for hours which can cause discomfort and you feel the need to stretch your legs.
  • Placing a light behind my monitor pointed at the wall to create a light bias. This results in a more even distribution of light over the retina, rather than just a bright rectangle surrounded by darkness.
11 days later

I'm new to the forum, and wanted to say I concur. It's absolutely multifaceted. I went into my eye doctor complaining about neck and shoulder pain, dry eyes, tired eyes, hard to maintain eye contact with people close to me, eyes hurting during work hours, and all the rest. He had a machine to do testing and suggested rather eye therapy, or contoured prisms ("Neurolens"). I took the glasses approach, and have experienced immense relief. This is anecdotal, but if anybody here has tried literally everything else, consider giving the Neurolens a shot. Worse case scenario, you return them and get your money back. Eye therapy is also effective, though I haven't tried that.

In terms of monitors, I recently got some curved anti-flicker VA panels, and set them further back on my desk, and it's been wonderful. Sure, they have less color, but the lack of punchy colors and vividness has been nice. In addition to the neurolens, although I haven't been cured by any means, the eye strain/pain has rarely been something I think about. It's there, as I notice once or twice in a week, but most of the time it's barely an inconvenience.

  • mike replied to this.

    plymn10

    People on this forum have big problems with newer screens. Tension headache, red burning eyes and so on. Probably because BVD or something similar eye-problem that triggers on dithering and similar tech.

    When I read your first three posts it doesn’t sounds that you have that problem. It sounds more like you are advertising Neurolens in every post.

      I agree with you, BUT the Neurolens seems to be the best tool that we have to fight against BVD.

      I think all the people on this forum (living in the US) should try them because if the problem is the BDV and not the PWM sensitivity they should work.

      If PWM sensitivity is the problem, they obviously won't do anything.

      In my case that I can use the OLEDs (despite the 240hz flickering of the iphone X) I shouldn't have problems with the PWM but "only" BVD and the neurolens should work. But I live in Italy so it's pretty complex and expensive to go to the US for one pair of glasses.

        Lauda89 I agree with you, BUT the Neurolens seems to be the best tool that we have to fight against BVD.

        I would say that the eyepatch is the best tool. At least for me it have been a total game changer, and it helps many on this forum.

        How many on this forum have had some success with Neurolens? Just curious to know how good they are.

        • bkdo replied to this.

            Lauda89

            mike

            In my experience, Neurolens definitely provided some level of relief for my general eye strain, but didn't help with the flicker sensitivity and wasn't worth the $$$ over my regular lenses.

            This is just my personal experience, I don't want to discourage anyone from trying them out though. Especially if your doctor suggests them.

                  bkdo Curious what your neurolens measurements were? Is it horizontal correction or vertical?

                  • bkdo replied to this.

                      ryans

                      IIRC my measurements at the time for lenses were:

                      OD +0.75

                      OS +0.25

                      H Prism 3.00 Bl

                      I needed horizontal correction. The lenses helped, but didn't fix the flicker issue.

                      I actually saw my optometrist a few days ago and had my eyes re-checked, my new prescription is

                      Sphere OD +0.50

                      Sphere OS +0.25

                      H Prism OD 1.25 Bl

                      H Prism OS 1.25 Bl

                      V Prism OD 0.75 BD

                      V Prism OS 0.75 BU

                      Not sure why I didn't catch this the first time, but I have a vertical misalignment as well. I'm getting new lenses in ~2 weeks, I'm curious if they'll help with the flicker issue. I may also try Neurolens again with this corrected prescription, since the numbers were clearly off when I tried them the first time. This may also explain why the eyepatch helps me so much, since it's letting my eyes relax and not have to try to correct for two separate misalignments.

                        13 days later

                        This is actually my first time hearing about using an eye patch. I'm curious, do you switch between eyes, or is there one eye that's more effective to cover?

                        • bkdo replied to this.

                          plymn10

                          I patched my left eye for 3-5 hours a day for a week, then swapped and patched the right eye for a week. I noticed that the reduction in symptoms was a little more apparent when patching the right, it'll probably be different for you. I think it depends on exactly what kind of BVD issues you have.

                          =======

                          By the way, I'm going to see a BVD specialist next week to get a complete picture of what's wrong with my vision. It's apparently going to take 2-3 hours of tests and evaluations, so I'm really hopeful that I'll get some valuable information. If I learn anything that may help others on here, I'll definitely share it in this thread.

                              bkdo Thanks for the info. My right eye is the biggest troublemaker as well. I am curious what you'll find from the specialist, any info you share will be valuable. I hope it's a productive appointment!

                                a year later

                                K-Moss I'm using that monitor(asus VA249HE) but still it doesnt feel so good. Played with settings, os, drivers, etc , result is meh.

                                It would be really helpful to know: How do you setup your monitor and OS so you're happy with it ?

                                  a year later

                                  If you only have redness and bags under your eyes, no migraines etc. and you're still able to use any LCD screen, you don't really have any real eye problem, lucky you, or anyone else for that matter.

                                  For me even e-ink devices are not good enough, because apart from amblyopia, i got my eye muscles almost completely paralized for 3 weeks after the last migraine, and still recovering from that after 4 months, and I get eye strain very quickly just focusing on anything up close like e-ink tablet, books, and can't use any lcd screens already for years, including TVs, though i didn't have means to try all possible tricks and tweaks with different LCDs, RLCDs, etc..i'm glad that anyone is managing to find fix for their issues.

                                    2 months later

                                    f3likx The bags under my eyes are significantly reduced after only a week

                                    hypnotic If you only have redness and bags under your eyes

                                    Are eye bags associated with eye strain from screens? I've had progressively worse eye bags over time, starting a few years before my eye strain was so prevalent. There are other possible contributing factors (stress, poor sleep, allergies, diet, etc.), but they are much worse than expected based on age and genetics (comparing to family members).

                                        dev