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Old 06-28-2013, 08:25 AM   #1
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Frontlit ereaders and eye strain

Hai,
I am thinking about buying my first ereader. I am an avid reader (laptop). My primary concern is of course eye strain (I spent 10-15 hrs on laptop and my eyes are killing me), next is portability (I like to read while on the go). I also read at bed time.

Can some existing users comment on the front light eink displays? Does it cause eye strain, should I be better off with a reader without light, how long can you read with lights on without any eye strain etc.

Also as the frontlit displays are first-generation models would it be better to buy an ereader without light now and wait for the second incarnations?
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Old 06-28-2013, 08:36 AM   #2
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I haven't put in any multi-hour sessions with my Kobo Glo yet, but so far I can report no eyestrain. The Kindle's backlight was more annoying than an eyestrain, IMO. Can't say about the Nook or any other device.
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Old 06-28-2013, 08:41 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cortman View Post
I haven't put in any multi-hour sessions with my Kobo Glo yet, but so far I can report no eyestrain. The Kindle's backlight was more annoying than an eyestrain, IMO. Can't say about the Nook or any other device.
Are you talking about a Kindle Fire, here? Not really valid to compare that to a frontlit eInk reader - it's a totally different experience.
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Old 06-28-2013, 08:52 AM   #4
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I've had plenty of multi-hour sessions with my Kobo Glo. No worries. It's not 100% comfortable in pitch darkness at the closeness at which I read without my specs, so I generally keep a dim background light on (it's not bright enough to disturb my partner). If you read with the device further away from your eyes, you might be just fine in pitch blackness, if that's your bag.

In daylight I have zero problems. Just keep the screen brightness down at a level at which you have good screen contrast, but without it looking like it's lit up like an iPad.
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Old 06-28-2013, 09:09 AM   #5
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Have you seen the Onyx Boox i62HD Firefly (Angel Glow)? I heard it's also a good one
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Old 06-28-2013, 09:17 AM   #6
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I've had no eyestrain issues using both a Glo & Aura. I suspect that using the light actually helps reduce eye fatigue. Or at least in my case anyways.
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Old 06-28-2013, 09:20 AM   #7
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I don't use a front-light often, but when I do I haven't had any problems with additional eyestrain (even reading on non-lit or paper can cause some degree of strain if reading long enough). I usually keep the light at a fairly low setting as I've found the higher settings too bright.



Quote:
Originally Posted by cortman View Post
I haven't put in any multi-hour sessions with my Kobo Glo yet, but so far I can report no eyestrain. The Kindle's backlight was more annoying than an eyestrain, IMO. Can't say about the Nook or any other device.
The eInk Kindle, which would be the one in question here, is front-lit just like your Kobo Glo. It doesn't have a back-light (which would be impossible).
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Old 06-28-2013, 02:47 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cortman View Post
I haven't put in any multi-hour sessions with my Kobo Glo yet, but so far I can report no eyestrain. The Kindle's backlight was more annoying than an eyestrain, IMO. Can't say about the Nook or any other device.
Do you have eye strain when using lcd/backlight?
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Old 06-28-2013, 02:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cortman View Post
I haven't put in any multi-hour sessions with my Kobo Glo yet, but so far I can report no eyestrain.
Do you have eye strain when using say lcd/backlight etc.?

Quote:
Originally Posted by meeera View Post
...It's not 100% comfortable in pitch darkness at the closeness at which I read without my specs, so I generally keep a dim background light on (it's not bright enough to disturb my partner)...
How do you compare that to an ereader with a book/reading light? Which one will be better? Do you have any experience?

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Originally Posted by meeera View Post
In daylight I have zero problems. Just keep the screen brightness down at a level at which you have good screen contrast, but without it looking like it's lit up like an iPad.
I am thinking about completely switching it off outside if possible, so no issues day time I guess.

Last edited by iamosam; 06-28-2013 at 02:55 PM.
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Old 06-28-2013, 03:07 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by AnemicOak View Post
I don't use a front-light often, but when I do I haven't had any problems with additional eyestrain...I usually keep the light at a fairly low setting as I've found the higher settings too bright.
How do you compare front light to a reading light (attached to reader or not)? Do the low setting goes really low for us to read comfortably (compared to backlit brightness)?


Quote:
Originally Posted by AnemicOak View Post
even reading on non-lit or paper can cause some degree of strain if reading long enough.
I guess I have more sensitive eyes. And I agree reading even printed books for long could cause strain or more correctly tiredness. But the lcd induced strain is pretty harsh comparatively in my opinion.
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Old 06-28-2013, 03:12 PM   #11
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I've had no eyestrain issues using both a Glo & Aura. I suspect that using the light actually helps reduce eye fatigue. Or at least in my case anyways.
I don't know if light actually is ggod or not. But the strain from using laptop for long hours make me hate even the idea of lighted screens If I am not going to use it there is no point in spending that additional money.
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Old 06-28-2013, 03:15 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by iamosam View Post
How do you compare front light to a reading light (attached to reader or not)? Do the low setting goes really low for us to read comfortably (compared to backlit brightness)?
I've had no problem on the Aura HD. I set it pretty low (around 6%) in a dark room and don't notice any problems.



Quote:
I guess I have more sensitive eyes. And I agree reading even printed books for long could cause strain or more correctly tiredness. But the lcd induced strain is pretty harsh comparatively in my opinion.
I don't have as huge a problem as some folks do with LCD, but it's certainly an issue above that of paper or unlit eInk for me. I find that higher ppi displays (on laptops & tabs) and cranking down the brightness (ScreenDim can help on Android tabs) can make a huge difference though, at least for me, making no where near as bad as a few years ago.

Last edited by AnemicOak; 06-28-2013 at 03:17 PM.
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Old 06-28-2013, 08:57 PM   #13
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Quote:
...It's not 100% comfortable in pitch darkness at the closeness at which I read without my specs, so I generally keep a dim background light on (it's not bright enough to disturb my partner)...
How do you compare that to an ereader with a book/reading light? Which one will be better? Do you have any experience?
Yes, I had a Kobo Touch before. I vastly prefer the Glo. No need to finely tweak a reading lamp so that it shines on the device, no bezel shadowing (I prefer minimal margins), no need to readjust the light every time I change position, and no light shining in my partner's eyes when I lie on that side. It's also much easier to read in indoor daylight, because the slight lighting on the device improves the contrast a lot.
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Old 06-29-2013, 12:40 AM   #14
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On my Nook HD/HD+ with their LED screens, I prefer to use Cool Reader because in addition to adjusting the brightness, I can change the background screen color from stark white to a very pale green-gray color, which I find doesn't annoy my eyes like reading for hours on a laptop will do.

The Nook and Kindle apps just seem to give the options of various permutations of black, white, gray and sepia backgrounds.
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Old 06-29-2013, 05:38 AM   #15
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On my Nook HD/HD+ with their LED screens, I prefer to use Cool Reader because in addition to adjusting the brightness, I can change the background screen color from stark white to a very pale green-gray color, which I find doesn't annoy my eyes like reading for hours on a laptop will do.

The Nook and Kindle apps just seem to give the options of various permutations of black, white, gray and sepia backgrounds.
I am already using coolreader on laptop with black background and using 'color that site' extension in firefox to change website backgrounds, but still...
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