LCD Monitors Strain Your Eyes?
 

Hi,

Thinking about outfitting the office with some of these. Anyone been using one for a while? Do they still strain your eyes after a while or are they much better than they used to be?

thanks,

marc

i just got a sony about 4 days ago.first lcd i have ever had.and it seems to be fine to me

I know exactly what you're talking about.

I just got an 18" Sony LCD flatscreen monitor about two months ago. After the initial rush wore off after getting it, I noticed that my eyes felt very tired after sitting in front of the monitor day and night (as I usually do), for a few nights.

It even got to the point that I called Sony to ask them questions about the settings. They were no help at all.

I should have just went for the 21" CRT monitor I was considering instead.

:Hollering

I believe they are better on the eyes than a CRT

Yep, CRTs keep coming down in price. If you have the desk space, you can't go wrong with them. I'll be interested to hear if others are experiencing the same issues.

I simply have the impression that CRTs are much sharper. Fuzzy images strain my eyes and make my head hurt. Then again I have always worked only with CRTs...

Personal preference...

I cannot stand LCD screens.. at the MOST I can use and LCD screen for about 1 hour before my eyes start to strain, really bad.

You should think about your employees FIRST. As a programmer, if I had no option but to use an LCD screen, I would quit. My eyes are bad enough from years of staring at computer screens, there is no way I would use an LCD screen full-time (minimum 10 hours per day).

Just my :2 cents:

As far as doing design work, I bet the LCDs just aren't up to par yet, right? They probably just don't have the sharpness that is needed.

I have been using an LCD for years, when I use a CRT my eyes hurt

I have been using LCD for over a year. It is sharp as hell and I prefer to work on it as my eyes don't get as tired as on the CRT. It's just a matter of getting use to and always work in the native resolution of the LCD as any other setting will make things blury.

I'm ultra picky about imaging and was a die hard CRT user, but I researched the market on the new LCD monitors and decided to give it go.

Sitting in front of an LCD is way easier on the eyes. There is zero flicker and no radiation being beamed into your head. The picture is way brighter, the colors more beautiful and saturated. Text is perfectly crisp and actually looks sharper than it did on the CRTs.

There are some crappy LCD's on the market so you really have to spend some time finding a top model and then compare them side by side.

I can't even look at CRT's now without getting that headache sensation again.

I think a high quality LCD would be better than a regular monitor.

LCD is a lot sharper, the only problem I have is that the text on a 1024x768 15" LCD is actually smaller than an 800x600 15" CRT, so my eyes do get a little strained... I had to move the monitor closer to the keyboard just to make it bearable.

If you do your research and buy top quality LCD, it's better than any comparable CRT on the market IMO. Some really high-end CRT's of course cannot yet be beat by LCD's quite yet, but that's fine.

For normal every day long-exposure NOTHING at ALL beats a *good* LCD. Expect to pay at least $700 though, for a 19" LCD. Dollar for dollar, CRT's are "sharper" in that you can buy a $350 CRT and probably be fairly happy with it. If you buy a $350 LCD though, you're begging for problems.

Bad LCD's like the old 15" monitors that were all blurry and only did 60hz refresh rates. :)

I do about 12-16 hours/day staring at text/web/etc. I switched to LCD about 6 months ago, and will NEVER go back to CRT. The difference in clarity and contrast of text is simply amazing, and I have very bad eyes. My eyes actually seem to have been getting better slowly, in terms of hurting and being able to focus after working.

I also paid $850. The Samsung t line can not be beat, as far as I know. I currently have a 191t, and am looking forwards to picking up a second 19" of their slightly newer model to replace this one, and then do dual monitor.

Caveats: Use DVI. Period. Also use native res. Period.

peace,

-Phil

I have a Dell 20.3 LCD and love it.

When my last CRT blew out I went out looking for a new one. I looked at all the high end models but I ended up coming home with a panel.

The best panels are far sharper than any CRT. Make sure you get one that can do DVI connection rather than a standard VGA cable.

As well try out the panels and judge for yourself. I found that the 20ms Mistubishi I now have blows away most of the new 16ms panels.

As for eyestrain it is generally much less as you are focusing on a flat surface with a panel. Even flat CRT's are not really flat in regards to distance from the eye. But it can take a bit to adjust to a Panel if you have always used CRT. For the first day or two I wanted to take it back but now I love it.

Bingo...

At anything other than native resolution, LCD will tend to be blurry...evenly divisable resolutions (like 800x600 on a 1600x1200 native LCD) will also tend to be blurry too.

And moire effects and worse than normal color distortions (all LCDs have some trouble producing even/correct color), even though often subtle, can be annoying...DVI greatly helps to eliminates distortions, especially moire effects.

In short, as others have already pointed out, if one seeks an LCD for comfort, expect to spend about $600 USD minimum...and very easily double that amount depending the size and features desired. Brightness, contrast, and resolution make a big difference...cheapo LCDs usually are lacking in one or more those areas.

Spent a small fortune for a ViewSonic 2000VX 1600x1200 (.255 mm dot pitch) earlier this year...I'll never go back to CRT now...

http://www.viewsonic.com/products/lcd_vx2000.htm

Ron

Nice looking panel..

how much was it?

Also, is the bezel as big as it looks in the pic? That's one thing I really like about the samsings.. The small bezel, and one reason I went w/ this 191t vs. a viewsonic.

Thinking of maybe just biting the bullet and getting a 22" or whatnot, but man.. HUGE price difference between 19" :)

-Phil

I have 3 lcd's in the office and one downstairs. What I find strains my eyes is looking at

Lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines and lines ...

of code and also processing hundreds of images.

I think lcd is better.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful insight. I've decided to go ahead and focus on purchasing higher-end LCDs to replace the CRTs in my office.

Many of you actually said that they are easier to stare at for hours at a time and that's exactly what we need.

A perfect working environment is what I strive for... we recently got all Herman Miller Aeron's for comfort and the next step was finding the perfect monitor for comfort.

thanks again,

marc