Hi, I’m Ludo and welcome on my website about digital eyestrain
Contents
My happy life before
I used to be a software developer, IT/Tech lover, spending more than height hours a day staring at a computer screen every days! And I loved it, it was my passion, my work, my livelihood.
My life is falling apart
Unfortunately my eyes developed something like an “allergy” to screen (and to a lesser degree to paper too). When reading my code, documentation, pdf file or whatever, I have eyestrain, eyes tiredness, headaches, blur vision, and if I force too much I also have nausea and strong ocular migraine. Those symptoms appear quickly and only when reading something, if I play video games or watch a movie I have no problem.
It started a bit more than eight years ago. I had to stop my study and job as a software developer. I couldn’t handle it anymore, even with the code in Visual Studio zoom at 200%.
The medical field have no idea of what I have
I felt terrible, and tried to solve it. I saw an ophthalmologist and for him everything was fine. I was angry and proceed to book an appointment to five different ophthalmologist. I was very surprise that everyone told me the same thing: your eyes are FINE.
Not giving up, I then had a cerebral MRI but still everything was perfect for the doctor. It’s nice to know that everything is fine in my brain, no cancer and what not, but a part of me wanted desperately doctors to find something instead of having them telling me that everything is FINE.
Then I went to an orthoptist. I had some lack in convergence insufficiency and eyes accommodation. Great I said, finally someone who found something wrong!
Big deception, while it helped me a lot with my accommodation problem, it didn’t solve the eyestrain.
It’s at this moment that I lost hope and kind of accepted (while still not accepting) that I won’t be able to be a software developer or any job that require to much screen time.
Then I searched online, a lot, to find answer
After searching for months online, I found some name of conditions that could explain what I have such as:
- Visual Snow Syndrome: a neurological condition that make you see persistent white/black/transparent/coloured moving and flickering dots in your visual field.
- IRLEN Syndrome: a light-based visual processing problem that may be solve with tinted coloured glasses.
- Visual Stress: kind of the cousin or IRLEN Syndrome.
I do have some Visual Snow but it doesn’t bother me that much. I most certainly have the Visual Stress syndrome, and more specifically visual problem due to what is call the Pattern Glare. It’s the visual problem that you get from pattern, stripes…
Text are what? Just spaced lines of text (black line) and spaces are the white lines. Exactly like in stripes of line. I finally understand that my problem come from having pattern glare from text!
What can be done? Usually you can see a specialist of this condition and be tested to find the best color filter for you to alleviate the symptom. I went to Switzerland twice, because nobody is specialized into it in France. I now have color overlays as well as colored tinted glasses; The overlay over a page of paper works wonderful for me. But on the screen, the glasses doesn’t work.
Discovering true eye care display
Then I got to think, I use my kindle paperwhite with few eyestrain (similar to paper), What if I could have a monitor made out of eink? This is from this day that I discovered the world of TRUE eyescare monitor, (not the “fake” one that just have blue-light reduction / low-no flicker brightness), Eink and RLCD monitors. What an expensive world though 😀
I bought the Dasung PaperLike 13″ and 25″ as well as the Hisense Q5 and Sun Vision Display 32″ Color Computer Monitor, which are both RLCD.
After trying everyone of them and figuring out which one I liked the best and fit to my environment, I can now read stuff online with from low to no eyestrain. Unfortunately for me it’s still not good enough to be able to go back to my software development job.
This is a niche market with very few informations and review about those monitor, this is why I created this website. To helps people with eyestrain to make the right choice when buying one of those very expensive monitor. I will also talk more about eyeglasses and software that can improve comfort on screen.
Thank you for reading, and I truly hope you find a solution for your eyestrain.
Hello Ludo,
Your story is same as me, About the RLCD monitor sunvisiondisplay, how long have you been used it?
And is it suitable for daily usage/work, can it completely replace the normal LCR monitor?
Thanks,
Hi,
Yes I think that the Sun Vision Display can replace a normal LCD monitor, if you don’t do colors sensitive work (as the color are not very accurate).
I used the SVD a couple of weeks, a few hours here and there. I do no longer have it because I sold it. The main problem for me was to be able to have enough contrast (either with ambient light from the sun or external light) while minimizing glare. With my current small flat I wasn’t able to position it and adjust the room to fit this need.
I also found it very big (I love and used to 24″ screen).
To conclude, it’s a very nice monitor but you need to know that some work is needed to be able to have enough contrast, minimize glare and be ok with 32″.
Hi,
I have one Hisense q5 and I have some issue with glare and contrast too. I tried to apply a matte film on it and it works great.
How about the contrast of Hisense q5 compare to SVD ? I think I can apply the same matte film on SVD too.
And yes you are right, 32″ monitor is not an ideal size for working.
Great, I never tried putting a matte film on my Hisense Q5, I need to try. As for putting one on the SVD I wish you luck to apply such a big matte film without bubble or dust.
When using a 10 watts desk lamp, the contrast of my Q5 is fine. Unfortunately the Q5 is too small and the SVD too big 😀
Unfortunately I find that the SVD have a worse contrast than the Q5. It is also more difficult to light it because you need stronger light and wider light to have an even contrast across the screen (almost impossible).
You can see a picture of the Q5 and SVD here: https://stopeyestrain.com/rlcd-monitors/sun-vision-display-32-color-rlcd-computer-monitor-review/#light_and_how_to_light_it
You can also check this guy light setup on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMU8NDfiT6U
Thanks 😘
Hello,
It’s me again, do you think eink monitor is good enough for daily coding task?
Thanks,
It depends haha =)
The biggest drawback I would say for coding, is the lack of colors and colors syntax as it will be harder to understand your code and navigate through it.
You can alleviate it a bit, by using a custom theme for your IDE/code editor. You can find some online or creating one yourself, with high contrast, bold, underline…
Second drawback is the ghosting that may be annoying for some people.
Else, it’s possible, I’ve seen people on reddit doing it!
You can see on this video someone coding on a Dasung: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJmen3Wfbig
hi! is there any colour eink /svd monitor that you can use it for videoconferencing? thanks!
RLCD would be better because you won’t have too much lag / ghosting but it can works with a dasung or boox monitor too if you don’t need color or something too clear.
Hi,
I have very similar problem. Im a software developer. I have headaches, neck and eye pain + migraines from screens. Pain in the eyes appears and intensifies only from artificial light, for example from monitors and car headlights. Eye doctors also say that there is nothing wrong with the eyes, the problem is at the level of the nervous system. Most likely there are pinches of nerves or blood vessels somewhere, something in that direction, in the end the problem comes down to improper muscle function.
How I deal with the problem and was able to reduce migraines to 1-3 times a year, from about 12:
1) Monitors with eye care technology: https://www.asus.com/microsite/display/eye_care_technology/
2) Brightness – 0% (up to 15% depending on the monitor)
3) Contrast – 0% (up to 15% depending on the monitor)
4) Windows -> Display settings –> Night Light –> Always ON -> ~90% (or use https://justgetflux.com)
5) I hung a punching bag in the doorway at home, in a small apartment. I’ve only been doing it for half a month, but I already feel that it’s more effective than regular exercises which didn’t give me any results. So far it seems to me that the best way to tidy up the chest + neck.
I ordered monitors from eazeye, I’m waiting for delivery, I’ll try it and post the results. I hope that they will relieve the tension from the eyes completely.🙏🙏🙏
If anyone has similar problems, please share how you dealt with them or won ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for your advice.
I hope that the eazeye can solve your eyestrain.
Hey Aslan,
fuckin same same !!!
I have done number 1 to 4, except with a Benq low blue light monitor with small results !! I did not try number 5 yet !!! ahahah
You have probably a violet, blue light sensitivity that develops into Migraine…..
My story is : I have violet blue light sensitivity, Computer vision syndrome that develops into name it all symptoms migraine, headache, nausea, fatigue and so on !!
It has been my life for the previous 6 years !! I even tried Neurolens 1000$ with clip on FL-41 with few results !!! keep on reading positive feedback is coming
Of course, I have been through so many optometrist, family doctor, waiting for a neuro ophthalmologist consultation (it’s apparently a 5 years waiting list). Eye doctor in general should know better about violet blue light sensitivity, and they don’t.
Obviously I have a Boox tablet : Note Air 3 for reading and I was considering buying the Dasung paperlike Color monitor for 1800 USD (You may seriously consider this option, because glare is very low…. now I don’t know if you are sensible with glare, but I am as well).
Anyway, this blog actually put me on a serious path. Ludo is talking about Irlen Syndrome or Visual Stress. So I got to look into Visual stress to find out that opticalm.ca are doing colorimetry (is the formal process of evaluating the effects of colour and light on a person’s visual and perceptual symptoms) and I got to talk with a guy from one of the branches in Ottawa. He basically told me about the short wavelength.. Story short : I have blue blocking glasses, but I just realised that they are not efficient at blocking the specific light that affects me, in other words, they are probably fuckin cheap !!! and they probably do not block appropriately violet and blue light. I got to look for real quality blue blocking Fitover glasses that would block light from 400 nm (nanometer) up to 550 nm. 550 nm is even at the beginning of green light, anyway.. I ordered those glasses https://www.blockbluelight.com/collections/fitover-blue-blocking-glasses/products/fitover-blue-light-glasses
which I received 2 days ago, and guess what, I have been sitting here, in front of my god damn Benq Monitor for 5 hours in a row without having a tint of an headache…. this is huge !!! After all I went through !!!
I sincerely hope this could help, and if not, like I said previously, consider buying a Dasung E ink monitor (the one in color just came out) Bigme is also in the game.
According to your car headlights sensitivity, you definitively need a pair of glasses to protect, otherwise it is a nightmare to drive at night considering the new car’s extra strong headlights . those are the one I bought and I am very satisfied with the product (https://www.blockbluelight.com/collections/fitover-blue-blocking-glasses/products/fitover-blue-blocking-glasses?_pos=5&_fid=c5decfd43&_ss=c
I use to have a Uvex fitover pair of glasses, but they are far from the one from Blockbluelight.com in term of quality.
Also, What I would like to add as well is that you may see an optometrist for a Visual test with pupils dilation and adjust your glasses prescription if you do have glasses of course.
Finally, You may see a physiotherapist and work on your ergonomic workplace for your neck pain.
Give me some feedbacks,
Laurence
Hi Laurence,
Thank you so much for sharing your journey and insight.
I didn’t know about neurolens. So there device told you that your eyes was misaligned, you then bought there 1000$ glasses (are they clear or do they have a tint?) and it didn’t help you?
They are not available in France, else I would have tried.
Your Computer Vision Syndrome is only when looking at a screen? Only when reading text or you also have it if you watch a movie?
The colored Dasung looks nice but I hate ghosting.
Opticalm is great, I loved this video from them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrgAfiVA8Bw
Unfortunately they are not in France :/
“optometrist for a Visual test with pupils dilation and adjust your glasses prescription” I’ve also done that, but nothing changed.
Wow I’m very glad that you are now fine and your problem is solved with those glasses.
I’m very happy for you.
Ludo
Hey Ludo,
I have so much to say, I’ve been trying to figure this out for so long !!!!!
I am actually fine with those blue light blocking glasses, but it’s not perfect. It is although a major step forward for an everyday LCD use, and it is also a major step forward for my understanding. Of cours, I am still taking multiple pauses and I am still keeping a certain discipline in order to avoid eye strain. All that said, I would not do extensive reading on my LCD screen with those glasses, in other words Boox Note Air 3 is still essential to me !!
According to Neurolens ….. Where to start from…. I went with Neurolens because I was so symptomatic at some point that I was ready for anything. My vision / perceptual problems are multifactorial, (of course). My Neurolens came with a new prescription, when I say new prescription .. Here is the change : From Right -0.25 / Left -0.75 to Right +0.5 / Left +0.25, quite a change for only 2 years in between those two visual test.
I have to say that the optometrist did a good job with my new prescription (visual test with pupil dilation), he said that my eyes were misaligned. So I put trust into him. Although, over this topic, I cannot confirm that those neurolens are the main reason for my symptoms relief, because it could also be due to my new prescription. As for this reason, Next time I renew my glasses, they will first be regular len glasses. As you know, eye misalignments is very demandful for the brain (I will not go into details) and It might be true that Neurolens are helping in general, but I will only be able to confirm this when I change my glasses in 1, 2 or 3 years with relgular lens.
To answer your questions, they have have a very light tint for regular blue light protection, but it’s the regular blue light protection every optometrist shop are offering. Although, I have a Fl-41 clip-on that are not really efficient for computer use,
I don’t have eye strain reading a book or reading an e-ink screen, thank god !!! Watching too much TV will give me eyestrain / headache ans so on, I tend to watch Tv series for 1 hour a day or so on my Oled Tv (more eye friendly)
**VERY IMPORTANT, and I feel few people are doing this. **
There is also something else I did on top of wearing those blue light blocking glasses. I went into my LCD monitor settings and I completely reduce blue color. I am not talking about brightness nor I am talking about eye comfort (F.lux). I am really talking about going into the color temperature settings and I put a beautiful 5 out of 100 on blue light, I sould probably take a picture of this. I could have kept 100/100 on green light and 100/100 on red light, but I also decrease them to end up with 75/100 on green and red light colors. Of course, the colors of the screen looks washed out, but I don’t give a damn !!! As long as I can do my everyday personal office work, websurfing and on and on without eye strain, headache and name it. Although I feel like not every monitor have these options.
Obviouly I decrease brightness and contrast to my preferences, which are very so very low contrast and brightness.
Also, when I was reading your story, something strikes me. You still can play video game (with a TV I assume), so I wanted to share this with you….. Have you thought about using your TV as your computer monitor. But Far better, I don’t know if you know about laser projector. There are laser projector for big screen cinema purposes, but there are also smaller laser projector (TV size screen). And as you know the light coming from a projector is an indirect light, and I think a laser projector may not only have lower blue lights, but may also provoke less eye strain (this is an idea from which more research should be done). So, why not using a laser projector as your computer monitor. well you know, all options must be considered as eye strain is a major issue for such a software developer like you.
Some more idea might pop up in the coming days, I’ll let you know, I am due for a pause hahahah !!!
Laurence
Hi Laurence.
How did you know which color/wavelength affected your eyestrain?
It’s nice that these glasses help you but be careful they are not meant to be worn all days. See the “Can I use the Night-time glasses during the daytime as well?” section https://www.blockbluelight.com/pages/frequently-asked-questions
Ok anyways neurolens is not available in my country so I can’t test and see if it helps like you.
Ok we are different then, because my eyestrain is only when reading, for everything else (movies/game/whatever) I’m fine.
I do have eyestrain when reading sometime on paper and eink. RLCD is better, but I think mostly it that I need to have the perfect light/contrast to minimize my pattern glare, but without it being too dark to not feel like “reading in the dark”, which also give eyestrain, a very hard balance to find.
My monitor does have those settings. Everything was at 50 so I put blue to 0. I will see how it goes. Having contrast too low give my eyestrain because my eyes need to strain to read then.
I played on the computer. I don’t have a TV.
I never tried a projector, but at work in meeting we have one and it gives my eyestrain.
Have a nice weekend!
hey Ludo,
Our eye strain is different,
Part of mine is due to blue light
I did some excess with those blue light blocking glasses two first days, but I am aware those are meant to be wear with artificial lights, and I only use them for an average of 1 to 2 hours a day as for computer use only.
One thing you may be interested in is that those blue light blocking glasses increases significantly contrast.
I just found a product that suits my needs as a nurse and as technology is part of my everyday work now (very portable and very hookable)
https://shop.dasung.com/products/not-ereader-133-2-in-1-dual-function-tablet-monitor
All that said : have you been trying or consider to try : Rééducation orthoptique ?
All the best,
Laurence
I bought the blue light glasses you mentioned too. I will use them in the evening to try to get a better sleep. I don’t think it will help for my eyestrain.
Too much constrast make my pattern glare worse and give me eyestrain, too little contrast and it feels like reading “in the dark” and gives my eyestrain.
Great I hope that the Dasung can help you.
Yes I did, I talked about it in the article:
Then I went to an orthoptist. I had some lack in convergence insufficiency and eyes accommodation. Great I said, finally someone who found something wrong!
Big deception, while it helped me a lot with my accommodation problem, it didn’t solve the eyestrain.
NIce talking with you Ludo,
I hope you can get rid of your eye strain one of these days,
To answer one question I forgot to : ”How did you know which color/wavelength affected your eyestrain”… I am highly sensible to any artificial blue light : computer monitor, car headlights, flashlights, LED lights especially the one at 5000 K. It gives me automatic headache, fatigue, migraine, eyestrain and name it. Natural lights does not affect me at all.
I will go for that Colorimetry test in Ottawa in the near future, I’ll let you know if you interested in it.
Laurence.
Thank you, it was nice talking with you.
Hi,
Yes, my eye doctor also prescribed me glasses with blue light protection. My other problem is that my left eye is +0.5 and my right eye is +1.5. The cost of these glasses was 200 euros 5 years ago. I don’t know how effectively they block blue light, but I wear them always.
https://www.blockbluelight.com – I’ll try these glasses. I would just like the left eye to be +0.5 and the right eye to be +1.5 on them, but it looks like there is no such option to order.
If we talk about tension in the muscles, I feel it all over the right side, pain in the area of the shoulder blade, arm, and neck on the right side mainly.
I went through 5 physiotherapists, they didn’t help at all, yes they prompt and guide, do their own manipulations (which help me relax for 1 day), but I already knew all this from the Internet.
My workplace is strictly in order, I change my position all the time, I work either sitting (on the ball for example) or standing, I keep my posture, but this does not relieve the tension in my eyes.
Why do you recommend Dasung and not Eazeye?) Have you tried Eazeye or plan to do it? What do you think about Eazeye?
Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Aslan,
When was your last vision test ?? is it 5 years ago….because if so, this is your starting point, especially if you talk about ”tension in the muscles”. This is step number 1. There is nothing you should do before.
Blue light protection on regular glasses is a start. It would be wrong to say that blue light protection on regular glasses has a high level of filtration of blue light. Many different labs offers this blue light protection, and they varies in term of filtration percentage. You may asks your optometrist, whether, he will tell you precisely, whether he is just going to stay vague, because he does not have the exact numbers.
You may do some research on the color temperature scale to get to know more about it.
Nope, Blockbluelight products do not offer prescription lens within their products. But as I said before, you need a vision test before anything. Once this is done, and if LCD screen are still a problem for your vision. You may go for a Fit over pair of blockblue light glasses. Those are meant to be wear on top of your prescription glasses.
Once again, if your vision test is up to date, I wrote that it in my previous reply to Ludo, so I’ll do a copy paste :
”There is also something else I did on top of wearing those blue light blocking glasses. I went into my LCD monitor settings and I completely reduce blue color. I am not talking about brightness nor I am talking about eye comfort (F.lux). I am really talking about going into the color temperature settings and I put a beautiful 5 out of 100 on blue light, I sould probably take a picture of this. I could have kept 100/100 on green light and 100/100 on red light, but I also decrease them to end up with 75/100 on green and red light colors. Of course, the colors of the screen looks washed out, but I don’t give a damn !!! As long as I can do my everyday personal office work, websurfing and on and on without eye strain, headache and name it. Although I feel like not every monitor have these options.
Obviouly I decrease brightness and contrast to my preferences, which are very low contrast and very low brightness.”
About Eazeye, I got to look into the product over the internet, it actually seems a very good alternative to LCD screen. I personally own a e-ink device (tablet), and I can attest I love it. I do not have yet a e-ink monitor, but eventually, I will get one of those…
keep me posted and good luck with all that,
Laurence.
I also forgot to add that every evening I do vibration massage with heating (google “medisana mnv”) of the neck and back of the head – 15 minutes up to 2 hours. Effectively relieves tension from the eyes and neck. I also use various other back and neck massagers.