Eye-Strain on LCDs is a Myth (or missunderstood)

[ProDigit]

I've posted some guidelines on how to read comfortably on LCD screens about a year to 1,5 years ago on this forum. I forgot exactly where it was though.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by schmolch

Eye-strain is not caused by the fact that a screen is backlit.
A Paper-Book shines light into your eyes the same way, by reflection.

Eye-Strain is caused by:
- too much brightness. Your screen should not be much brighter than your Surroundings.
- other bright Light-Sources in your viewing area. Bright Lights should be above you or behind you and shine straight down only. Look at Office-Lights, they have Grid-Reflectors for this reason.
- Wrong Distance to monitor. If you have read alot of Books, your eyes might have permanently adjusted to this small Distance for reading (thus the eye-glasses to correct this) and reading at a bigger distance requires eye-muscle work and those get tired quickly causing the sensation of eye-strain.

Eye-strain is always a muscle-issue, there is nothing else in your eyes that could cause this sensation.

I had huge eye-strain issues myself and even gave up Desktop-PCs completely (Laptops were fine) until i noticed the importance of all these 3 Factors.

this seems to be a foolish claim to make unless you are a Doctor of Optometry

[kad032000]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

this seems to be a foolish claim to make unless you are a Doctor of Optometry

I think this was posted by someone earlier in the thread, but:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/0...use-eye-strain

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Ankh

The sales figures for eInk screens are solid statistics, as those (equipped with eInk screen) devices are ill suited for anything else except dedicated readers.

Dedicated reader sales figures only indicate how many readers are selling. It is not a judgment on which screen technology is better, and it doesn't reflect how many people comfortably read on other screens, how many gave up one screen to read on the other, or how many bought dedicated readers for other advantages (such as wireless downloads or long battery life). In this case, the evidence is purely circumstantial.

I know, it sounds like I'm merely making excuses for LCDs or dismissing eInk, but the fact is that both screen technologies can be comfortably used all day long, or make a user blind in a half-hour, depending on how they are set and used. There's no point in calling one good and one bad, and no stats that back up either claim... they're just different, and affect different people in different ways.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by kad032000

I think this was posted by someone earlier in the thread, but:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/0...use-eye-strain

that's still a fairly inconclusive article if you read it closely.

[m-reader]

Originally Posted by schmolch

Eye-strain is not caused by the fact that a screen is backlit.
A Paper-Book shines light into your eyes the same way, by reflection.

Eye-Strain is caused by:
- too much brightness. Your screen should not be much brighter than your Surroundings.
- other bright Light-Sources in your viewing area. Bright Lights should be above you or behind you and shine straight down only. Look at Office-Lights, they have Grid-Reflectors for this reason.
- Wrong Distance to monitor. If you have read alot of Books, your eyes might have permanently adjusted to this small Distance for reading (thus the eye-glasses to correct this) and reading at a bigger distance requires eye-muscle work and those get tired quickly causing the sensation of eye-strain.

Eye-strain is always a muscle-issue, there is nothing else in your eyes that could cause this sensation.

I had huge eye-strain issues myself and even gave up Desktop-PCs completely (Laptops were fine) until i noticed the importance of all these 3 Factors.

Please re-post this message when you get some peer-reviewed studies to support your assertion. In the meantime be prepared to get some fairly opinionated answers.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

this seems to be a foolish claim to make unless you are a Doctor of Optometry

I really do think that the underlying research is more important to know than to have a title.

[m-reader]

Originally Posted by tompe

I really do think that the underlying research is more important to know than to have a title.

It seems to be next to impossible finding any reputable public studies out there on this issue. It would be interesting to contact a teaching medical (eye) hospital with a good research track and see if they have anything on this.
Until I get some verifiable trustworthy data, all these arguments are as meaningful as the "how long is a piece of rope" conundrum.

[Xanthe]

All I can base my opinion on is my own experience with MY eyes. If I'm viewing a backlit screen for five hours - with the light level adjusted comfortably for my eyes - my vision is blurred by the end of that time. If I'm reading a book or a non-backlit ereader for that same time frame, that doesn't happen.

[dmaul1114]

Originally Posted by Xanthe

All I can base my opinion on is my own experience with MY eyes. If I'm viewing a backlit screen for five hours - with the light level adjusted comfortably for my eyes - my vision is blurred by the end of that time. If I'm reading a book or a non-backlit ereader for that same time frame, that doesn't happen.

Yep, at the end of the day that's all that matters. Your own experience.

I do think people should be open to trying different things, and not go online and bash devices they haven't tried etc. For instance, I don't like reading on my laptop or desktop, get blurred eyes etc. But I have no problem on the iPad, or a PDA etc. where I can more easily adjust the brightness and hold the screen the same distance from my eyes I do a book or my Kindle etc.

So form factor has a TON to do with it.

But again, at the end of the day, go with what works best for you as that's all that matters. As I said before, I'll never get the animosity and arguments on here over screen types when it just boils down to personal preference and using what works best for you.

[Fat Abe]

Originally Posted by dmaul1114

Yep, at the end of the day that's all that matters. Your own experience.

I agree with you entirely. Those lucky enough to find the reader that works well with their eyes and their reading environment are indeed blessed. We should not feel the need to proselytize others on what they should find comfortable, based on marketing, or even scientific, studies.

We can, however, offer advice about how we optimized readers for our own situations. For example, I use a large Sony Bravia display for computer work, which includes a great deal of reading and research. For the iPad, I purchased an Apple bluetooth keyboard to adjust the brightness of the screen. (Not all apps have readily available brightness controls). The three e-ink readers I own present challenges in getting enough uniform light on the displays. Here I have resorted to soft white lightbulbs as well as a Bowens tri-light fixture. Whatever works, no matter how kludgy it may appear to be.

[kad032000]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

that's still a fairly inconclusive article if you read it closely.

Does it conclusively prove that LCDs cannot strain your eyes? No, but it does give a sense of what the scientific opinion may be. You're asking for proof that LCDs don't cause eye-strain (if used correctly)? That's like asking for proof that tying your shoes doesn't cause brain cancer.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by searcher

It is a dirty apple propaganda.

People that claim this should be jailed for 10 years in Guantanamo.

It's the same as to say that cigarettes doesn't cause cancer.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by kad032000

Does it conclusively prove that LCDs cannot strain your eyes? No, but it does give a sense of what the scientific opinion may be. You're asking for proof that LCDs don't cause eye-strain (if used correctly)? That's like asking for proof that tying your shoes doesn't cause brain cancer.

Just as science provides fairly conclusive evidence that tying your shoes is not a direct cause of brain cancer, it also indicates clearly that eye-strain can be suffered while reading any media to an extreme. Even scientists don't need a "smoking gun," as long as they have the gun, the bullet hole, and the remnants of the bullet.

Scientists and doctors have been providing ergonomic guidelines for reading (as well as many other activities) for years. They can hardly be held accountable when people don't take their guidelines to heart, and thereby suffer eye-strain.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Scientists and doctors have been providing ergonomic guidelines for reading (as well as many other activities) for years. They can hardly be held accountable when people don't take their guidelines to heart, and thereby suffer eye-strain.

Those guidelines don't eliminate/prevent eyestrain, for many they can only hope to minimize eyestrain. Even following every eyestrain reduction suggestion I can't read a novel on my work LCD monitor. The guidelines do help me get through the day reading e-mail, the web and reports, but reading from my LCD work machine is still eyestrain inducing.

I must admit that my eyestrain has increased with age and gotten worse since having Lasik eye surgery. But I can read for hours on my PRS-505 without eyestrain until lack of sleep catches up with me.

For anyone to believe that eyestrain caused by backlit LCD monitors is a myth or just misunderstood by the ignorant masses is in itself ignorant. To assume that it could easily be avoided by all with properly applied ergonomic techniques is an assumption based in the world of make believe.