MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Eye-Strain on LCDs is a Myth (or missunderstood)

Steven Lyle Jordan · 04-07-2010, 04:55 PM

Fact is, just plain reading can lead to eye-strain... if it is done too much.

I've worked in front of computers for the last 20 years, 8 hours solid at work, then 2-4 hours a night after work... and over the last 20 years, I've had to get progressively stronger glasses. Most anyone who reads anything that much can expect that to happen.

I have occasionally experienced eye-strain on the way home from work, reading on the train, and had to close my eyes for a rest. These incidents happened as often when I was reading from a standard paper magazine, as on an LCD screen. In all cases, it's because I had spent the entire 8 hours previous, reading. Didn't matter what source. Simply put, I tired my eyes out. It's just muscles in there, folks... they're not invulnerable.

I have read on LCD screens on PCs, PDAs and smartphones, since there have been PDAs and smartphones, and I never experienced eyestrain that couldn't be attributable to an extended length of time just reading. The same goes for CRT screens and paper... read too much, and my eyes got tired. Changing light levels in the surrounding area could also cause the apparent light on the screen or paper to change, forcing your eyes to work harder to compensate for the differences (yes, even those reading a magazine can experience variable light levels on the page, depending on what the ambient light is doing).

LCD screens, like CRTs, have the benefit of being adjustable, so you can minimize the brightness and contrast factors that force your eye-muscles to work harder, adjusting and refocusing, to compensate for the differences (the true cause of eye-strain). But most people simply do not know how to adjust their screens properly (or at all), so an improperly-set screen acerbates strain.

And many others, including many on this forum, simply don't step back and take breaks from reading often enough. Perfect screen or not, paper, e-ink or LCD, too much reading will affect your eyes.

Having said that... since everyone's eyes are different, there's really no point in trying to declare one media or another "good" or "bad." It's the activity that causes the eye-stain, not the media... the media just affects the amount of strain, to differing levels for different people.

04-07-2010, 04:55 PM	#33
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Fact is, just plain reading can lead to eye-strain... if it is done too much. I've worked in front of computers for the last 20 years, 8 hours solid at work, then 2-4 hours a night after work... and over the last 20 years, I've had to get progressively stronger glasses. Most anyone who reads anything that much can expect that to happen. I have occasionally experienced eye-strain on the way home from work, reading on the train, and had to close my eyes for a rest. These incidents happened as often when I was reading from a standard paper magazine, as on an LCD screen. In all cases, it's because I had spent the entire 8 hours previous, reading. Didn't matter what source. Simply put, I tired my eyes out. It's just muscles in there, folks... they're not invulnerable. I have read on LCD screens on PCs, PDAs and smartphones, since there have been PDAs and smartphones, and I never experienced eyestrain that couldn't be attributable to an extended length of time just reading. The same goes for CRT screens and paper... read too much, and my eyes got tired. Changing light levels in the surrounding area could also cause the apparent light on the screen or paper to change, forcing your eyes to work harder to compensate for the differences (yes, even those reading a magazine can experience variable light levels on the page, depending on what the ambient light is doing). LCD screens, like CRTs, have the benefit of being adjustable, so you can minimize the brightness and contrast factors that force your eye-muscles to work harder, adjusting and refocusing, to compensate for the differences (the true cause of eye-strain). But most people simply do not know how to adjust their screens properly (or at all), so an improperly-set screen acerbates strain. And many others, including many on this forum, simply don't step back and take breaks from reading often enough. Perfect screen or not, paper, e-ink or LCD, too much reading will affect your eyes. Having said that... since everyone's eyes are different, there's really no point in trying to declare one media or another "good" or "bad." It's the activity that causes the eye-stain, not the media... the media just affects the amount of strain, to differing levels for different people.