LCD and your eyes

JSWolf · 07-31-2017, 06:34 AM

Why is it we get people saying that reading from an LCD screen hurts his/her eyes and yet some of the same people spend lots of time watching an LCD TV and sitting in front of a computer/laptop/tablet/phone all with an LCD screen for a good amount of time? If these LCD screens are not a problem, then why is reading a problem? And if these screen are a problem, then go see your local optometrist as you have something wrong with your eyes.

maddz · 07-31-2017, 06:43 AM

It's probably to do with the reading distance and the size of the screen. Usually a TV is a good 6-8' away, a desktop computer monitor a good 3' away, a laptop 2-3', but a tablet is much closer. I quite often take my glasses off when using my iPad Mini (even though I don't need to) and as I am very short sighted, the screen is about 6" away.

Quite possibly they're mildly long-sighted, not enough to need reading glasses under normal circumstances, but with increasing age they ought to visit their optician to check whether they should now be using reading glasses for close work.

HarryT · 07-31-2017, 06:59 AM

I suspect one of the main reasons is that people have the screen brightness set too high. If the screen is visibly "shining", it's too bright.

underscore · 07-31-2017, 07:54 AM

I suspect that it could be also a rude, uncorrect 'way of saying' from not english speaking forum members.
Couldn't be just a simplification to say that an eink screen is more 'natural' to eyes ?

Is it really just for battery and reading outside that e-ink found his niche?

Maybe as analogic native ;-) i found easier to convince my brain (not my eyes!) that e-ink is paper so a good old book.
So in the end i'm mad and not blind

John F · 07-31-2017, 10:23 AM

Could be different usage cases. Personally, when I'm reading I am focused on reading and not doing much else. When I'm using a computer, I tend to look away from the monitor occasionally, and am less focused on a particular position.

As far as LCD TV, no comment, I don't have one.

4691mls · 07-31-2017, 11:23 AM

It may also have to do with how long you read at a time. I can read on my smartphone for short periods of time, but ran into problems when I tried to read on it for a few hours in the same day (eyestrain, itchy eyes, weird halos around lights the next day, as well as poor focus). This was using the Overdrive app set on sepia at the lowest brightness I could manage.

The phone is handy if I want to read while waiting for a dentist appointment, but I stick with my eink reader if I am going to read uninterrupted for a long period of time. I have never had any eye issues with my eink reader even after binge-reading all day on a Saturday.

GlenBarrington · 07-31-2017, 11:41 AM

I was one of those people who read a lot on my 10 inch Lenovo Android tablet and my smartphone. I never thought that they bothered my eyes. In the dark, I did have to switch to white letters on a black background but I understood the reasons and accepted it. On the whole I was pretty satisfied with with my backlit tablet experience.

Early on in my eBook "Career" I had a Sony PRS 300 and a PRS 350, so I was not unfamiliar with e-ink devices. But over time, they became very unreliable, and I stopped using them for a good 5-6 years. (I suspect battery issues, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to replace them!)

However when I recently bought a refurbed Paperwhite, I realized that I was able to read for longer periods of time and other chores, and my writing, wasn't getting done. The PW not only had a longer battery life, it WAS easier on my eyes.

It isn't that my tablet is hard on my eyes, it is not. It is more that my PW is even easier on my eyes for reading. I was as surprised as anyone at this. I will still use my tablet for reading time to time, probably if I'm reading something with graphics and diagrams, you just can't compare the graphics between the two, the tablet wins hands down.

But for pure text, I will likely stick to the Paperwhite.

Cinisajoy · 07-31-2017, 11:44 AM

I am going with HarryT. It totally blows my mind how bright some people keep their screens.
I can't count the number of times I have read here that people can't see the screen in a bright room but it is blinding in a dark room because they turn the light way up before going into a dark room. This is both tablets and ereaders and a few computers. I keep my lights as low as I can. My husband on the other hand keeps his screens brighter. I am nearsighted with bifocals. He is farsighted with trifocals.

4691mls · 07-31-2017, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I am going with HarryT. It totally blows my mind how bright some people keep their screens.
I can't count the number of times I have read here that people can't see the screen in a bright room but it is blinding in a dark room because they turn the light way up before going into a dark room. This is both tablets and ereaders and a few computers. I keep my lights as low as I can. My husband on the other hand keeps his screens brighter. I am nearsighted with bifocals. He is farsighted with trifocals.

I had the Overdrive app set on sepia with the brightness turned down as low as I could manage and still see it, but I still had problems. I tried white on black but found it hard to read.

I think people should use whichever equipment works for them. Obviously LCD works great for many people and that's fine. It just doesn't work for me, at least not for reading for long periods of time.

Cinisajoy · 07-31-2017, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I had the Overdrive app set on sepia with the brightness turned down as low as I could manage and still see it, but I still had problems. I tried white on black but found it hard to read.

I think people should use whichever equipment works for them. Obviously LCD works great for many people and that's fine. It just doesn't work for me, at least not for reading for long periods of time.

Sounds like you are one with legitimate brightness problems. I know if where I am is very dark, even very low lights mess with my eyes. Not just on tablets but dash lights, the radio lights in the truck.
Oh if you play match 3 games, do not download the marvel comics one. It flashes very brightly when you make a match.

khalleron · 07-31-2017, 12:19 PM

Because people are different - different ages, different sizes, different abilities, different eyesight, different needs.

Not everyone is you. Not everyone is doing something 'wrong' if they have different experiences than you.

Gotadimple · 07-31-2017, 12:38 PM

Reading on a tablet can be harder on the eyes than on a dedicated ereader - mostly based on the technical specs (refresh rate, pixels per inch, glare free screen, etc.). The ereader IS different than an LCD screen. A dedicated ereader is designed for reading at close range with screen graphics that do not cause you to squint, and includes a non-glare surface.

This is why some people can read on an LCD screen and others can't. If the pixels per inch is not equal to what you'd find in a Kindle Paperwhite (et al) and if there is screen glare, you may find it hard to read for long periods on a tablet. Adding an anti-glare screen protector to a tablet can help - but then if you also watch movies on the same device your don't get the best benefits of the LCD screen.

John F · 07-31-2017, 03:31 PM

Does ppi really make a difference? Older eink was much lower ppi, and people didn't seem to have problems.

And as far as brightness... I can see it being a problem if it is turned up on LCD, but wouldn't those same people have their front lights turned up on eink?

Cinisajoy · 07-31-2017, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

Does ppi really make a difference? Older eink was much lower ppi, and people didn't seem to have problems.

And as far as brightness... I can see it being a problem if it is turned up on LCD, but wouldn't those same people have their front lights turned up on eink?

And you see the same complaints in the e-ink forums.

John F · 07-31-2017, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

And you see the same complaints in the e-ink forums.

No I don't. My impression is that some people prefer LCD, some prefer Eink, and more people complain about LCD than Eink.

07-31-2017, 06:34 AM	#1
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,015 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	LCD and your eyes Why is it we get people saying that reading from an LCD screen hurts his/her eyes and yet some of the same people spend lots of time watching an LCD TV and sitting in front of a computer/laptop/tablet/phone all with an LCD screen for a good amount of time? If these LCD screens are not a problem, then why is reading a problem? And if these screen are a problem, then go see your local optometrist as you have something wrong with your eyes.

07-31-2017, 11:41 AM	#7
GlenBarrington Cheese Whiz Posts: 1,986 Karma: 11677147 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Springfield, Illinois Device: Kindle PW, Samsung Tab A 10.1(2019), Pixel 6a.	I was one of those people who read a lot on my 10 inch Lenovo Android tablet and my smartphone. I never thought that they bothered my eyes. In the dark, I did have to switch to white letters on a black background but I understood the reasons and accepted it. On the whole I was pretty satisfied with with my backlit tablet experience. Early on in my eBook "Career" I had a Sony PRS 300 and a PRS 350, so I was not unfamiliar with e-ink devices. But over time, they became very unreliable, and I stopped using them for a good 5-6 years. (I suspect battery issues, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to replace them!) However when I recently bought a refurbed Paperwhite, I realized that I was able to read for longer periods of time and other chores, and my writing, wasn't getting done. The PW not only had a longer battery life, it WAS easier on my eyes. It isn't that my tablet is hard on my eyes, it is not. It is more that my PW is even easier on my eyes for reading. I was as surprised as anyone at this. I will still use my tablet for reading time to time, probably if I'm reading something with graphics and diagrams, you just can't compare the graphics between the two, the tablet wins hands down. But for pure text, I will likely stick to the Paperwhite. Last edited by GlenBarrington; 07-31-2017 at 11:46 AM.

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07-31-2017, 06:43 AM	#2
maddz Wizard Posts: 1,273 Karma: 28630044 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Icarus, iPad Mini 2, Kobo Touch, Google Nexus 7	It's probably to do with the reading distance and the size of the screen. Usually a TV is a good 6-8' away, a desktop computer monitor a good 3' away, a laptop 2-3', but a tablet is much closer. I quite often take my glasses off when using my iPad Mini (even though I don't need to) and as I am very short sighted, the screen is about 6" away. Quite possibly they're mildly long-sighted, not enough to need reading glasses under normal circumstances, but with increasing age they ought to visit their optician to check whether they should now be using reading glasses for close work.

07-31-2017, 06:59 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I suspect one of the main reasons is that people have the screen brightness set too high. If the screen is visibly "shining", it's too bright.

07-31-2017, 07:54 AM	#4
underscore Addict Posts: 314 Karma: 1093858 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Romania (but i'm italian) Device: Onyx Boox Nova 2, Kingrow K1 (former N96 ML/i86ML Plus/M92)	I suspect that it could be also a rude, uncorrect 'way of saying' from not english speaking forum members. Couldn't be just a simplification to say that an eink screen is more 'natural' to eyes ? Is it really just for battery and reading outside that e-ink found his niche? Maybe as analogic native ;-) i found easier to convince my brain (not my eyes!) that e-ink is paper so a good old book. So in the end i'm mad and not blind

07-31-2017, 10:23 AM	#5
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,172 Karma: 63764653 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Glo HD	Could be different usage cases. Personally, when I'm reading I am focused on reading and not doing much else. When I'm using a computer, I tend to look away from the monitor occasionally, and am less focused on a particular position. As far as LCD TV, no comment, I don't have one.

07-31-2017, 11:23 AM	#6
4691mls Wizard Posts: 2,776 Karma: 30081762 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: US Device: ALL DEVICES ARE STOCK: Kobo Clara, Tolino Shine 2, Sony PRS-T3, T1	It may also have to do with how long you read at a time. I can read on my smartphone for short periods of time, but ran into problems when I tried to read on it for a few hours in the same day (eyestrain, itchy eyes, weird halos around lights the next day, as well as poor focus). This was using the Overdrive app set on sepia at the lowest brightness I could manage. The phone is handy if I want to read while waiting for a dentist appointment, but I stick with my eink reader if I am going to read uninterrupted for a long period of time. I have never had any eye issues with my eink reader even after binge-reading all day on a Saturday.

07-31-2017, 11:44 AM	#8
Cinisajoy Just a Yellow Smiley. Posts: 19,161 Karma: 83862859 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Texas Device: K4, K5, fire, kobo, galaxy	I am going with HarryT. It totally blows my mind how bright some people keep their screens. I can't count the number of times I have read here that people can't see the screen in a bright room but it is blinding in a dark room because they turn the light way up before going into a dark room. This is both tablets and ereaders and a few computers. I keep my lights as low as I can. My husband on the other hand keeps his screens brighter. I am nearsighted with bifocals. He is farsighted with trifocals.

07-31-2017, 12:19 PM	#11
khalleron Kate Posts: 1,685 Karma: 3165009 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Oregon, United States Device: Nexus 7 2013, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Forma	Because people are different - different ages, different sizes, different abilities, different eyesight, different needs. Not everyone is you. Not everyone is doing something 'wrong' if they have different experiences than you.

07-31-2017, 12:38 PM	#12
Gotadimple Zealot Posts: 101 Karma: 1129486 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Nook Simple Touch, Nvidia Shield	Reading on a tablet can be harder on the eyes than on a dedicated ereader - mostly based on the technical specs (refresh rate, pixels per inch, glare free screen, etc.). The ereader IS different than an LCD screen. A dedicated ereader is designed for reading at close range with screen graphics that do not cause you to squint, and includes a non-glare surface. This is why some people can read on an LCD screen and others can't. If the pixels per inch is not equal to what you'd find in a Kindle Paperwhite (et al) and if there is screen glare, you may find it hard to read for long periods on a tablet. Adding an anti-glare screen protector to a tablet can help - but then if you also watch movies on the same device your don't get the best benefits of the LCD screen.

07-31-2017, 03:31 PM	#13
John F Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,172 Karma: 63764653 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Kobo Glo HD	Does ppi really make a difference? Older eink was much lower ppi, and people didn't seem to have problems. And as far as brightness... I can see it being a problem if it is turned up on LCD, but wouldn't those same people have their front lights turned up on eink?

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