diop Thanks for the response. Yeah, I really didn't want it to come across that I found a cure all for everyone. Just wanted get what worked for me out there, so anyone that has not had their eyes checked, or have but it was assumed they didn't have astigmatism because theirs was really minor, that it may be worth looking into. I cannot even imagine how many people out there share the same sort of pain, but from drastically different triggers.
When things started getting really bad a few months ago, I actually went back through all my old emails, IMs, purchases, etc. to look for anything associated with eye strain, just to get a better sense of when this all actually started. In my original post, I said 2016, and that was when I purchased my 1st monitor that was really easy on my eyes. However, I can safely say the issues really stared around early/mid 2015, as that's when I added vision to my insurance. I had never needed it before, but the fact that I did so tells me that my eyes were bothering me at least a few months prior. The Asus MG24u is the monitor that I purchased then and it's been the easiest on my eyes since that time. It's the one I took to my new job on the second week, after screwing up my eyes, and I would buy a used one in a second if I ever saw one online. I have also been using the BenQ PD2700 for the last year, and it's not been too bad. It's very bright, so I always have it near it’s lowest setting - it's also the one that I learned I cannot use Full RGB or even a displayport cables with. More recently, I purchased an Asus VG289 - much like the BenQ, I have to keep the brightness low and not use full RGB or DisplayPort, but it's quite usable otherwise. TV's, gaming systems, iPads, iPhones do not appear to be an issue for me as I've never felt the searing pain after prolong use of them.
I do have a 15" 2019 Macbook pro for work and a 13" 2019 Macbook pro at home for personal use. Both only ever seem to give me any sort of pain if my eyes are already in a bad state - but that's only if I really screwed them up like a did a few months ago. What is interesting is that I can use USB-C to Displayport cable from either one of those laptops to either one of my newer monitors, and I do not get the strain I get when using the Displayport from my graphics card (GTX970 - I'm thinking it does something differently when using that rather that hdmi) on my PC. I never had a chance to try the displayport on my MG24u monitor, as it remains at work. I would be interested in seeing the results as I know that one is a true 8 bit panel, while the other 2 are 8bit + FRC.
diop I'm not suggesting that people don't have photophobia or some type of sensitivity, however I still feel that any external agent that is used in order to allow someone to simply stare into a modern device isn't the ideal solution.
Not about to argue with you on that one. All of my strain comes from unnatural light, be it most monitors or some LEDs. I mentioned in a previous post having an issue with some red lights that are not just LED's - but keep in mind that is only after greatly stressing out my eyes, typically from a crappy monitor. While my issues come from mainly LEDs, I'm more comfortable saying its from something the LED's are doing (flickering) rather than saying it's from the light itself.
diop until we have the hard data and know 100% that we can transform any computer to produce a clean video output, with dithering control on drivers and knowing how to render the desktop environment comfortably, there isn't much point focusing on trying to find the right monitor, the right light source, etc.
100% disagree with that. Trying to find what works for each of us individually is what helps us narrow down a possible root cause - and you must keep in mind that we are all not suffering from the exact same thing. You can say there is no point in focusing on trying to find the right monitor, but I can tell you that I cannot use a monitor that uses PWM as I will end up with a crushing headache. On that same note, I cannot use a TN monitor as they looked extremely washed out and also result in eye pains....and even then, if I'm using flicker-free, IPS (tends to work best for me) monitor that has a lot of visible pixels (like a larger 1080p monitor) I'm also going to have pains as my eyes end up wanting to focus on the pixels differently (that was my original problem). So, for quality of life in general, it is EXTREMELY important for anyone to find the monitor or light source that works for them. Sure, other factors can come into play and disrupt what works for us, like me suddenly finding out that full RGB or even using a different kind of cable can cause a problem, but learning to understand these new obstacles allows us to better explore the depths of our issue.
I've got a lot of use out of this site recently when it came to finding a new monitors. They really go deep with all the specs, in a zero frills kind of way. Super useful if you know some of your triggers: https://www.displayspecifications.com/en