New Ideas for our problem with screens

Artis

I just came across this blog entry and wanted to share it with you. I personally think it is worth a try because i had some of the symptoms described there and i am thankful for every new idea that can help to deal with nausea and headaches caused by screens.

http://strangeheadpressure.blogspot.de/2015/10/how-i-fixed-this-strange-feeling.html?m=1

KM

Maybe this can help some people. But if you suffer from only certain devices and/or combinations of video modes, like some of us do (within minutes or seconds), there's probably more to it than "fatigue".

Slacor

What the blogger is writing about is real and a issue. But that deals more with moderation of usage.

Whatever is causing the immediate symptoms (dithering, PWM) happens literally within seconds or minutes like KM said.
Because of that, things like "working in a well light area", "non-glare screens", etc won't help.

It's two separate problems

I'm sure if your head pressure problem is like what I had, you will feel healed within two weeks. If it didn't happen, do not hesitate to have a serious checkups and look for professional help.

Took me over 7 months to feel all the way better. If I'm exposed to a monitor with PWM for more then 30 seconds though, I immediately notice it.
The overuse one I also now notice (with the previous one gone) and I actually feel better within a hour, much better within a day.

JTL

Slacor The overuse one I also now notice (with the previous one gone) and I actually feel better within a hour, much better within a day.

I get that as well. Except it takes me 2-3 days to feel better. 😐

Slacor

JTL I relate to that one as a general strain, and benefiting from the standard stuff like better lighting, changing what I look at, etc.

A major help was the shifting away from blue light to red.
In fact, cancelling the program running that (shifting it back to blue) is quite irritating.
I know windows has flux.b if you haven't tried it (it's probably for mac too)
I've been using redshift

redshift -l LAT:-LONG -t 4500:3700&

JTL

Slacor Yeah that's what I meant (the overuse one). I have been trying flux on OS X and my Android phone and find it takes more effort for me to read text with the red tint (have optic nerve disorder as well, which causes poor vision in general)

I also have a BenQ XL2720Z coming soon (on a sidenote)

MvRemundt

Thanks for sharing Artis, definitely going to try it out. In my case I always feel that there is more involved than just my Mac Book Pro Retina screen. It took about a year of MBPr usage for me to get any issues at all and the time it takes that I get headaches nowadays feels really correlated to my sleep rythme ,stress level and head condition. Will keep you al updated.

Artis

Same with me. I also think that there could be more involved. I also have immediate symptoms after seconds looking on a screen with a "bad" input source but some days i can tolerate screens a lot better than on other days.

JTL

I had an MRI done a week ago, Got to look at the scans yesterday, also looked at previous scans side by side from December 2013 (also done for migraine reasons) and January 2011 (before I ever got migraines/flickering light sensitivity, was done for other medical reasons not related to this)

Verdict is no detectable or undetectable changes in the physical brain between these time periods.

Another doctor referral.

Slacor

JTL Nice!
What I'm curious about is brain waves and measuring them with a EEG. I wonder if they change when heavily affected by flicker. (Speculation)

KM

I did an EEG while being exposed to flickering light to check if epillepsy might be the reason for my problems. They didn't find anything. But the frequencies they used were rather low. Like up to around 40 Hz.

Slacor

KM Did you actually feel any effects when exposed? During / After

KM

It's some years ago. I felt nothing directly related to the flicker test. In general I do feel something when there's a 100 Hz light source nearby (we have 50 Hz alternating current). The hospital was full of fluorescent lighting. So if the effects were measurable, I guess the testers should have seen something on their instruments.
My MRI result from last year was normal, too.

APC75

Are there any new screens that you can all normally? I don't know much about this dithering stuff but I think ALL LED backlight screens are problematic. I am using a very old MacBook which I had to purchase as I reached a point where LED became intolerable. This is a MacBook from 2008 and one of the last to use CCFL instead of LED.

Obviously I have big concerns as we are moving to a LED only form of technology. I am fine with pre-LED LCD TV's and monitors. I particularly enjoy using TFT monitors although they are nearly obsolete as new computers can't plug into the old cables that you get on a TFT. Ultimately everything will require a HDMI port so I am running out of options. I would like to get my hands on a new monitor that doesn't cause headaches but confident that any LED monitor will work for me even if is flicker free. That said, I haven't tested any flicker free monitors yet but my experience of all LED is detrimental these days.

JTL

I saw this on Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/migraine/comments/3wtvre/after_10_years_of_suffering_success_with_an_spg/

Thoughts? I'm seeing a new doctor in February who may be able to perform this.

Slacor

JTL My first thought is I'm not triggered in the same way

Fluorescent lights are my only trigger

It sounds like a general numbing procedure using lidocaine by inhalation.
Why would / does that work? Does it cause side-effects like some level of depressive action on surrounding tissues? What's being affected that makes everything suddenly feel ok? What isn't being overstimulated?

I'm glad for the OP referenced, that it worked and is able to function. But what else was affected? If it works for you as well JTL, then maybe something is not reacting as much as it would when not in a depressed state, so to speak.
But even if it does work, it really just justifies and raises further questions of "eye-strain" - rather then provide a long-term solution. Which isn't a bad thing.
Maybe the problem location can be isolated and be put in a depressed state in a more controlled fashion.. Hmm..

jasonpicard

By no means am I better from this problem. I have been suffering it for 8 years I think now. I can usually make it through everyday feeling pretty good but It takes hard work. I wear a hat all the time. My work allows me to wear a hat all day so that is awesome. I am lucky there because we have fluorescent and LED lights. By wearing a hat you block the flicker from the overhead lights that gets you from the top of your eyes. Next I wear Prevencia glasses. I used to work with and by 3 computers all with monitors that flicker. So I asked by boss if he could order me some flicker free monitors and he had no problem doing it. That had a big impact on my eyes throughout the day. At home my kids had Ipods so for Christmas Santa magically brought them Google Nexus 7 flicker free tablets. I use only plasma TV's because they cause me no eye strain. I use all Incandescent light bulbs in my house. I buy full spectrum incadescent bulbs because I notice my eyes feel better with them. I used to buy the 40 watt kinds because my eyes were always so sensitive to bright lights but because I have been guarding myself so much I have no issues with 60 watt brighter lights now. I don't go to people's houses really because almost everyone uses CFL lights which flicker like crazy. When I'm forced to go to peoples houses I bring Incandescent bulbs with me. I ask them to change their light bulbs. I even went to a friends house to play video games. I had to bring my Plasma TV just so we could play. I found Bilberry supplements to help with pain although I haven't taken them for a year because I feel I have been better. I think white tea helps with the pain as well or I'm just crazy🙂 I live in Canada so it gets dark really early here. I usually don't go outside at night if I don't have to. We have all experienced the LED car lights and street lights or shopping malls. I am always open to new ideas to deal with this issue. I recently found a website advertising a new flicker free full spectrum light bulb. I am very interested in it. I guess it doesn't come out until the summer for order. They seem really expensive but I want to order one and see if it's better then my Incandescent light bulbs. The best place we can protect ourselves from flicker is our home so we have to start there. I have tried no diary, no meat, gluten free, sugar free, caffeine free and as far I can tell none of them work. Just some thoughts.