Eyestrain only on monitors with matte finish?

Monie

I used a Dell U2410 for a long time, and while I didn't get too much eyestrain from this monitor while gaming or watching movies, I would always get eyestrain from browsing the internet or just generally using the computer from the typical bright white backgrounds of web pages or Windows Explorer. This makes general work very fatiguing unless I invert colors, which also makes everything look like ass.

This eyestrain was also there on a game like Antichamber, which uses bright white everywhere. It was also there on games with really bright colors, like the Luncheon Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey.

I did not get this eyestrain on white backgrounds on my iPad screen, MacBook screen or phone screen. It was only on the monitor.

I thought that this must be because of PWM (the U2410 uses 200 Hz PWM), so I upgraded my monitor to a Samsung CFG70, which was advertised as flicker free. But even on this monitor, I'm getting eyestrain on white backgrounds.

I'm thinking more and more that this eyestrain may be caused by the matte finish on these monitors. The matte finish is apparent and makes the text slightly blurry on white backgrounds. Since the iPad and MacBook screens are glossy, I don't get eyestrain from them.

Is there any credence to this theory? Does anyone else get eyestrain on white backgrounds from monitors with a matte finish?

andc

Some cases of eye strain may be actually related to glossy finish that reflects more light than matte one. In my case both matte and glossy screens were causing eye strain, depending on the device. For me Ipad, HTC 10 with glossy display are ok, while Macboook Pro or Huawei Matebook X Pro with similar screens are not. Matte screens seem to be lottery - they usually don't give horrible eyestrain, but they're not 100% comfortable too.
It's probably more related to actual screen technology, OS, color profile, etc. However I'd assume that under the same circumstances matte screen should be easier for eyes than the glossy one, but it might be wrong - for example colors usually look better on glossy screens.

AgentX20

I've seen discussions (and some personal experience) that heavily "crystalline" matte finishes might make it harder for your eye to focus on what's on the screen.

Gurm

I would think it depends on the finish and the screen tech. Some glossy screens are really bad - the "glass on glass" ones are the worst, there was a time period in about 2012 where macbooks had this and it was dreadful to try to focus on the "screen behind the screen".

But I could see the heavy-polarization matte screens being rough too.

One of the best screens I own is a Dell XPS 13" (9345) with an InfinityEdge matte screen. Super crisp, super sharp, and super comfy as long as I don't upgrade it to a newer Windows 10.

Soreeyes

I find overly matte screens with the "crystal" look tend to be a little harsh on the eyes. Dell monitors circa 2010 were bad for that.

Regarding glossy screens some have a "thick" AR coating on that can cause major eye strain too.

I think it's more an individual item thing rather than a matte/glossy problem.

JTL

Soreeyes I find overly matte screens with the "crystal" look tend to be a little harsh on the eyes. Dell monitors circa 2010 were bad for that.

Haha. Someone just mentioned that on the iPhone X eyestrain thread on macrumors.

Allekss

Can confirm that I get way more eye strain on matte screens idk why. While glossy screens looks ok to me, looking at a matte screen instantly gives me a strange feeling in my eyes ( grainy picture and it seems more agressive to me ) !!!

Sunspark

Matte screens are very nice in any environment with bright lights, especially overhead lights.

528491

My experience is precisely the opposite! Glossy screens are a mess to me and matte screens are way better for my eyes.

EyeDiscomfortCertificate

There is almost no full matte screens on the market these days. 99% of monitors are "semi-matte", and these are often not good, grainy, reflective etc. Pure glossy (apple) or pure matte (like a cheap lg 22mk430 I have) are ok.
Among new monitors only some LG's, AOpen Clarity and Chinese noname are glossy. The only modern, true 100% matte monitors I know of are Samsung S27B/S32B800. These are really really matte, but their panels are cheap BOE ones, and 32 inch version seems to have high defect rate.

seeker_of_no_light

While I was experimenting with transparent DIY monitors I made the experience that if the LCD panel behind the matte display is not bright enough, your eyes will naturally start to focus more on the diffused illuminated matte surface. Now if you then try to focus more on the LCD panel when it's in that given condition, your eyes will start to feel strained since it is quite some work for the eye to ignore the diffused light of the matte surface.

gaoleng

Avoid led screens with PWM! Manufacturers sometime choose cheaper solution to control led brightness, pulse with modulation is no good for sensitive eyes

As for matte or gloss, depend on usage environment, if it's not outdoor or strong reflections, glossy is better comfort.

https://pctechtest.com/matte-versus-glossy-screen

ensete

Matte was always better for me

Liberator005

I think certain aggressive and grainy coatings can be annoying but it's definitely not a primary cause of eye strain.

Elever

Yeah I have the opposite problem. I never use a monitor in a fully dark room outside movies (and even with that some light is on) since I find a screen in a dark room is a bad combo for eye strain.

Since there is light and light reflecting off a screen can cause headaches, I prefer matte. Most recent monitors however have a slightly glossier matte coating than the thicker/grainier matte coating from before which I preferred.

As for the PWM……even budget $100 or less monitors rarely have PWM now you can test it for yourself on sites that do a PWM test or use a fan test. Almost everything is PWM free so the flicker could be from another source (FRC is on most monitors and that might cause it).

For text, I guess VA having better contrast is the way to go or an IPS which has a higher pixel density like a 24" 1440p instead of 24" 1080p.