Reducing Eye Strain?

torok asks: "Recently my optometrist prescribed corrective lenses, which is new for me. Being a programmer and staring at a screen all day doesn't help anyone's eyes, of course, but the default white backgrounds appear to be particularly troublesome. I wonder if others on Slashdot have noticed the same thing, and what they've done to help alleviate the problem. Is a grey or black background with white or grey text easier on the eyes, or worse due to lack of contrast or imperfect foreground colors? What about different lighting conditions and, of course, LCD vs. 100Hz CRT?"

Joy of Spex

[rueger]

Well, You might start here [google.com]

In particular all of your questions are answered here [poynton.com], the second entry on Google's list.

On a more practical note, assuming that your existing monitor and video card are in good working order, and that the monitor is positioned properly, the one thing that you need to do is to focus your eyes somewhere other than your monitor at regular intervals - say every five minutes.

Look at the wall, look out the window - anything to break from focusing only at that screen 18 inches in front of you.

Understand that the lighting should be dimmer than the usual office setting.

And sad to say, your need for eye-glasses may just be a reflection of the aging process [grimmemennesker.dk], not your work environment.

Besides, who says glasses aren't a good thing [joyofspex.com]?

Re:Joy of Spex

[sepluv]

>>Understand that the lighting should be dimmer than the usual office setting.<<

In the rooms with the public PCs at my uni (which I'm using now as don't have own PC yet), they have loads of *extremely* bright flourescent lights (in the ceiling) which hurt your eyes even when you go into the room, and are really annoying when viewing the LCD screens.

Re:Joy of Spex

[Eric Pierce]

> the one thing that you need to do is to focus your eyes somewhere other than your monitor at regular intervals - say every five minutes.

And an excellent program I've found to force you to do just that (and take regular breaks) is Workrave [workrave.org]

I also went back and forth looking for a "solution" to eye strain. I ended up getting my first pair of glasses. But that doesn't keep me from utilizing my little handful of tips I learned (some of which were learned from a similar Slashdot post 6-8 months back)

eyes every five minutes.- thank you sir!

[way2trivial]

I already have a tv on a wall mount above my monitor at home

now I have justification!

zerg

[Lord Omlette]

We do this every six months or so.

Find a timer, set it to 45 minutes, and each time it goes off, get up and walk around for a couple of minutes. Make sure while you're walking, you try to focus on something in the distance.

Problem solved.

(not satisfied? more [slashdot.org])

Dark Colors

[NiTr|c]

I always find some some darker colors help my eyes immensely. I use a black background with some dark green text, and I'm sure not to have high contrasting colors among the code for different syntax hilighting. I'll usualy get rid of bright reds, yellows, and greens, and stick to more dull colors. Also, using ambient light seems to help in my case. Point your lights, if you can, towards the walls and use the light that bounces from there instead of the direct lightbulb. I find this usually eases my eye strain. I've worn glasses since I was a freshman in high school, but lost them about 3 years ago. I've never gotten a replacement pair, but I've noticed my eyes are feeling much better than before when I work in the above conditions.

Yellow on Blue

[miller701]

Old school Human Interface guidelines said that yellow text on a blue background was the easiest on the eyes.

It's still an option in MS Word from the good ol' text days.

Other tips (Walk around 5-10 mins. every 45 minutes or so.) have already been mentioned.

Re:Yellow on Blue

[Ender_Stonebender]

Wrong on two counts!

It's white text, not yellow, on a blue background.

And it's not left from the "good ol' text days", it's there because Jerry Pournelle (sci-fi author and Byte magazine columnist) told them to put it there to match the good ol' text days - he claimed no one would want to use it otherwise. Once again, default settings beat good sense.

--Ender

MS Word Possible Solution

[Staplerh]

There's an option in Word XP (maybe other versions as well, I am not familiar) to set the background to Blue and the text to White, in the Preferences. I find this can really help with eye strain when working on a document for a prolonged period of time.

Hope this helps. While it might not be personally applicable, most people do use Word XP so I thought it could be a possible answer.

Re:MS Word Possible Solution

[Ender_Stonebender]

In versions before XP, associate the following macro code with a toolbar button in Word, otherwise the people who change background color without forcing foregroun color off of default (or vice versa) will really kill your eyes:

Sub ToggleBlue()
'
' ToggleBlue Macro
' Macro recorded 8/6/2003 by Ender Stonebender
'
If Options.BlueScreen = True Then
Options.BlueScreen = False
ElseIf Options.BlueScreen = False Then
Options.BlueScreen = True
End If

End Sub

You can get to it through the m

Re:MS Word Possible Solution

[John_Booty]

Wouldn't the following work?

Options.BlueScreen = Not (Options BlueScreen)

Not that an line of code matters in such a trivial place, haha. I was just wondering how restricted VBA really is. (I'm a VB/.NET/SQL coder; but I've never used VBA)

Re:MS Word Possible Solution

[Ender_Stonebender]

Just tried it - sure does. I should have thought to do it that way. It doesn't appear to be any faster, though.

Larger text.

[BrookHarty]

I dont see this mentioned often... I use 1280x1024 instead of 1600x1200. The text is larger, and my eyes dont feel as bad after a long 12-16 hour day. I also find staring at a 132x55 black console is easier to read than bright white.

Also, a higher refresh helps, I find 85hz the lowest I'd go.

Re:Larger text. Ummm okay

[LWATCDR]

"I use 1280x1024 instead of 1600x1200. "
boy do I hate this answer. Why? Because You can have big fonts with a hi-resolution. Just change your DPI settings and or your font settings. Windows and X-Windows will let you adjust your screen font to a larger size I am sure the Mac can as well. If you have two fonts of equal physical size the higher resolution one will be easier on the eyes.
Now having a higer refresh rate is a very good plan. I use the highest resolution that my monitor and video care will support

Re:Larger text. Ummm okay

[BrookHarty]

But at 1600x1200 you have to haver a newer gfx card with a better RAMDAC to run at 85hz, if your monitor will even run at that rate.

Also, if you just change DPI, it doesnt change all programs, so things look off. DPI wont change fixed font's either, so any program like terminal programs (console anyone?) will still be 8point.

Windows have enough flaws, messing around with DPI and font settings is more pain than just dropping resolution.

Re:Larger text. Ummm okay

[Babbster]

I've got to agree with you here. My problem has less to do with eye strain and more to do with sitting about four feet or so from the screen (I sit back with the keyboard in my lap). In my case, I use 1024x768 (I'm lagging back with a 17" CRT and really need to upgrade it) and still have to sit forward in some of the more font-unfriendly programs I end up running. This, by the way, was also the main reason I switched to Firefox since I found it scaled text MUCH better and easier than IE (ctrl-+/- are my

Re:Larger text. Ummm okay

[NetBlackOps]

Well you could use a real monitor. GeForce MX, Sony G400, 1600x1200x32 in 120 dpi with no problems on Server 2003 and XP. The only glitch I've

ever

seen was with Noia2 theme on Firefox rendering an extra piece of each button in the Options. As for console windows, you can change the properties to any monospace type you desire, as well as background, foreground, size, and so on. Or is Properties too hard to do? In X-Windows it's even more trivial to set a default. Sheesh!

contrast and environment

[lagerbottom]

A programmer friend swears by having a non contrasting environment with his pc. Meaning, if one has a white background one ought to be working in a well lit bright room. If you find yourself in a darker environment, then darken the background. I don't know. Personally I prefer darker backgrounds.

Reducing eyestrain

[blate]

A couple tips:

1. Bright white text on a black background. Yellow or green also works. Less glare, good contrast, etc. Great for x-terms. Harder in Word. Find what works for you.

2. Dialup your font sizes and/or zoom in. My friends used to tease me about using "fonts for the blind" on my x-terms, but I like not squinting and leaning into the screen to read stuff. Yes, you cannot fit as much stuff on the screen, but what you can see is readable.

3. Bigger is better. Get at least a 21" CRT monitor or a 19" LCD. It helps make (2) easier -- you're less tempted to use small fonts to see everything you need to see.

4. LCD's seem to experience less glare, be clearer, flicker-free, and have a myriad of other benefits. I like them, but I still appreciate a nice, big flat-screen Trinitron CRT monitor. The moral of the story is to spend a few extra bucks for bigger, clearer, and higher-quality. Money comes and goes, but you only lose your eyesight once.

5. Your eye doctor can prescribe "computer glasses". For the older folks among us, this can be a huge help. The problem is that most computer users sit about 3' from the screen. This is too close for your distance/driving glasses but too far away for your reading glasses. Finding a mid-range prescription can make a huge difference and reduce eye-strain.

6. Don't work in the dark. Don't work under really bright lights. I find the best computer lighting to be just a little too dark to comfortable read by.

7. Follow all those ergonomics suggestions that your HR department hands out. For example, get up and walk around every hour or two. This gives you a chance to stretch, focus your eyes at a distance, etc. Drink more water -- it's good for you and you'll have to pee more, which makes you get up more. You'll actually be more productive, despite the breaks.

Re:Reducing eyestrain

[Trepalium]

1. Bright white text on a black background. Yellow or green also works. Less glare, good contrast, etc. Great for x-terms. Harder in Word. Find what works for you.

I find white text on a black background very difficult to read on an LCD monitor. It's usually readable for the first few lines, but after a while it becomes very difficult to follow the lines, and scrolling the text causes visual phantoms which make it harder to read the rest of the text until my eyes adjust again. I find using white text on

Re:Reducing eyestrain

[yRabbit]

On my 17" CRT monitor (at 1024x768), I have difficulty reading white on black with most fonts. The text just looks too thin and "spidery". Changing the background to a dark gray (even a very dark gray) helps a lot.
I've not experienced the "phantom" lines, though I use black text on white often (on webpages in general, e.g. Slashdot).

I actually have had my default window colors set as black on very light gray for some time now. I find it easier to read than black on pure white.

Re:Reducing eyestrain

[sakusha]

I'll endorse the computer glasses. My optometrist prescribed glasses set specifically for the distance of my computer monitor, it makes a world of difference.

Re:Reducing eyestrain

[Shadwell]

5. Your eye doctor can prescribe "computer glasses".

My eye doctor recommended an 'antiglare' tinting for my lenses since most of my day is spent sitting in front of a computer. It's part of the scratch coat, cost around $45/lens and is really only noticable when I take them off and look extra hard for it.

Also see http://workrave.sf.net/ [sf.net] for a Windows and Linux program to help you take breaks and avoid eyestrain, repetitive stress injuries, etc.

Re:Reducing eyestrain

[bobbozzo]

I like Cyan text on a black background.
(Cyan = full (bright) Green + full Blue)

Much easier on my eyes than white on black.

Green on black

[cmaxx]

I personally use green on black, with a red cursor.

There is method in this:

1) it uses a single gun on CRTs which means there are fewer alignment problems even on shonky monitors,
2) it's typically the brightest phosphor, on CRTs, and I think the brightest filter on LCDs too, to my eyes,
3) the human eye picks up green very well, (might explain (2) to some extent),
4) picking a single colour means spectacle lens-wearers don't get chromatic aberrations which arise when looking at an angle through the lens.

The other thing I'd say is, pay extra if necessary for spectacle lenses with the anti-reflective coating. Ambient lighting glare on normal specs is a nightmare especially if you're using a screen all day and the coating does work.

Re:Green on black

[T-Ranger]

5) Your computer room is now retro. You have made your 21st century computer seem like a 1975 dumb terminal.

Re:Green on black

[Cyn]

This screams of the 'professional' gamers who tune all their settings down and just have enemies as big colorful blobs on their screen to get that 296th frame per second.

I daresay your eyes might like a little color workout - or are you doing a scientific study on the retina for burn-in?

Don't expect too much

[bluGill]

Some people approach this question as if by making a few simple changes they could have avoided the need for correction, any by making them now they can [stop|reverse] the damage. That is not realistic. In most cases there is no damage that is causing the problem. It is just a fact of like that your eyes undergo drastic changes at certain times in your life. Many people suddenly start needing glasses at 10, and bifocals at 45. Get over it.. No exercise, diet, or strain elimination program will solve the problem for most people.

Yes you should eliminate eye strain, exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, and all those other things you keep hearing about. Not doing some of that is not the cause of your problems (though it might make it worse), so changing won't change your problem.

Cleartype?

[TrebleJunkie]

This might just be me, but staring at my Windows 2000 Laptop all days bugs the hell out of my eyes.

But I go home and stare at my XP desktop with Cleartype enable, and I have a *much* better time of it, even on the white-screen/black-text stuff.

Re:Cleartype?

[bob65]

This might just be me, but staring at my Windows 2000 Laptop all days bugs the hell out of my eyes. But I go home and stare at my XP desktop with Cleartype enable, and I have a *much* better time of it, even on the white-screen/black-text stuff. Yeah some people claim that Cleartype makes things worse, but my suspicion is that they haven't used on an LCD before. On CRTs, yes it does make things worse (to me), but on LCDs it makes all the difference. Aliased text on LCDs is actually harder to read than

Green on green

[dhilvert]

I use light green on dark green. I prefer light-on-dark, and a 100% green color palette should be immune to the near-ubiquitous color convergence problems that CRTs have. Although I rarely use CRTs now, I still use the same colors.

My Tips

[Tux2000]

My tips from my experiences - or: how I prefer to work.

Bright Workspace:

How: At home, I light my workspace with a 40W fluorescent ring lamp (made by Philips, type "TLE 40W/25") with a cold light color. Its advantage is that it illuminates the entire room very homogenous. The disadvantage is that food looks ugly, especially meat. I work on a white desk.
At work, I have to live with two bands of linear flourescent lamps (22W each, I guess) each, shared for four tables. They produce enough light, but it is not as homogenous as the ring lamp. The desk at work has a light wood decor. Not optimal, but it works, because it is usually burried under heaps of paper.
Why: The low contrast between monitor and work environment reduces stress for the eyes. Try it: find a dark room and look onto a bright PC display (TFT or CRT) for a few minutes. I can't stand it longer than a few minutes.

Proper Monitor:

I prefer high quality CRTs. I own and use several Eizo Flexscans, 17 and 21 inches, and I recently ordered a new 17 inch Eizo Flexscan for my work place, even if (or perhaps because) the company policy is to buy low-cost TFTs. Sure, CRTs are large and ugly, and they need a lot of energy. But IMHO, the image on a good CRT is smoother than on a TFT. There is no color problem when you look from the side onto the CRT. CRTs don't have to interpolate the image to display different resolutions.

Proper Resolution and Refresh Rate:

For TFTs, look into the manual, but usually, you have to use 60 Hz refresh rate for best quality. And you have to use the native resolution of the display (see manual), or else it will interpolate the image or does not use the entire screen.
For CRTs, adjust the refresh rate to something between 85 Hz and 120 Hz. Depending on the light, there may be some flicker effects if the frequency of your light's power supply and the refresh rate are small integer multiples of a common base frequency: 50 Hz power supply for the light and 75 Hz refresh rate (2 : 3) cause massive flicker on my monitors, followed by a headache after a few minutes. Setting the refresh rate to 85 Hz removes this effect. Use the resolution recommended by the manufacturer of the monitor, or the next smaller resolution. Do not use the theoretical maximum resolution from the data sheet or the catalogue, this is the resolution that just does not kill the monitor, but it is not the optimum resolution.
I recommend to use not more than 1024 x 768 on a 17 inch CRT / 15 inch TFT. Buy a larger monitor if you permanently need higher resolutions.

Proper Setup

• Make sure there are no reflections on the monitor (e.g. sun, window, lamps).
• Place the monitor directly on the desk, don't place it on a desktop case or a monitor stand. Make sure you do not have to look up to see the entire screen. Many monitor manuals recommend to adjust the monitor so that you look onto the center of the CRT / TFT, but I prefer to look from above onto the monitor, with my eyes just above the case, in a distance of 1.5 times the monitor diameter.
• Use high quality cables (preferably BNC). Cheap cables can cause massive interferences, visible as vertical or horizontal bars, blurred fonts, and so on. The cable has to transport high frequency signals (100 MHz and more), that just does not work with a cable made from clotheslines and bell wire. Don't use extension cords for the video signal, use a longer cable or even better: Move your equipment. Each additional connector degenerates the signal.
• Use a good graphics adapter. The output filters found on cheap graphics adapter often degenerate the signal at high resolutions and refresh rates until it is unusable. Major brands usually have good filters, cheap clones, onboard junk (with shared memory), and many laptops often have poor filters.
• Avoid console switches (KVM), at least for your main monitor. Most KVMs degenerate the video signal or can't work with the optimum refr

Re:My Tips

[gregmac]

Someone wanted to sell his new CRT with a larger "inch number", and so he measured the size of the CRT across its mounting points. Et voila: 2 more inches! TFTs don't have that large mounting points because they are not as heavy as a CRT, so this trick does not work well.

CRTs have always been measured by the size of the picture tube. However, you can't project right to the edge of the tube, so they build the case over top of the unusable edges, and end up with a smaller viewable area (a stat most manufacturers have, although much harder to find). A 17" CRT often has closer to 15.5" viewable area. TFTs on the other hand are 100% usable. A 15" TFT has 15" viewable area.

It's still a dirty trick, but there is at least some merit to the measurement.

Re:My Tips

[Drakker]

Quote:
Place the monitor directly on the desk, don't place it on a desktop case or a monitor stand. Make sure you do not have to look up to see the entire screen. Many monitor manuals recommend to adjust the monitor so that you look onto the center of the CRT / TFT, but I prefer to look from above onto the monitor, with my eyes just above the case, in a distance of 1.5 times the monitor diameter.

The problem if you look down is that you are going to get awful neck problems with time. Your eyes should alway

If you're on OS X

[Bastian]

control-option-splat-8 is your best friend. One simple key combination to switch the screen to inverse greyscale. (Unless, of course, you're in emacs. Then it'll start up the spellchecker or a game of textmode Quake or something.)

Personally, I think it's a lifesaver - 8 hours of using my computer without it, and I feel like I've spent the day staring into a flashlight.

Re:If you're on OS X

[Gulthek]

Go into SysPreferences->Display and click on the Color Tab. Then "Calibrate" and use the expert options. It will take about ten minutes, and if you try to do it all at once your vision will be screwy for a while (you'll see what I mean). But once complete, you won't believe how much clearer your screen is! Save your calibration as something unique and you can click back and forth between the default and your completely calibrated to *your* vision monitor.

When I check out the default color settings now I

Excellent posts on this subject 7 days ago...

[Michael Spencer Jr.]

There were already some excellent posts on this subject a week ago. See: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=130257&thresho ld=-1&commentsort=4&tid=129&mode=flat&cid=10864866 [slashdot.org] (the post starts out saying "IAAVN (I am a Visual Neuroscientist)")

Re:Excellent posts on this subject 7 days ago...

[torok]

That's a really interesting post - thanks for pointing it out!

Here's what I've found..

[Firehawke]

I have similar issues-- I can actually see monitor refresh rates at even 85hz where there's any white on the screen. What I've had to do to prevent further abuse to my eyes is to switch to a different color scheme. If using Win9x or 2k, I'll use a custom color set where the background is pure black and windows/widgets are blue for edges and dark blue for empty space/buttons, and yellow for text.

This gives a few problems on things that still insist on using white backgrounds, unfortunately, but there's not

LCD all the way

[BladeMelbourne]

I have visited 2 optometrists and one eye specialist this year due to the appearance of an alarming number of floaters [google.com]. These are black dots and squigles caused by dried/crusty proteins in my eyes, casting shadows on the retina. These floaters never move. They all appeared in a 2 year period, after finishing my IT degree. They can't really be treated or removed, nor could anyone suggest anything that could be done to prevent more appearing.

Recently I purchased 2 19" LCD screens, and my comfort level has i

Re:LCD all the way

[Zareste]

I happen to have the same eye problem; some obvious lines in my vision which don't go away. It's a genetic thing more than a computer thing. And yeah, I've had quite a bit fewer headaches with an LCD screen; the clarity of it makes life easier. I can program for hours without having problems.

And for color scheme: After making websites and wondering about this here and there, I've found the most comfortable scheme to be a background at around 80-85% luminosity with black type.

reducing eye strain

[qazwsx789]

Things that help:

- make sure your eyes are not tense - whatever you do (learn to be aware of it)
- avoid/minimize repetitive computer work
- split the workload over many sessions
- eliminate glares/reflections from the screen
- take frequent breaks (every 15min)
- make sure to get enough sleep
- dust-free environment is very important
- get enough fluids (2-3L/day for most people)
- good, crisp display at minimum 80Hz refresh rate
- eye relaxing exorcizes can be ver

Re:reducing eye strain

[Stevyn]

"- don't forget to blink"

Thanks for reminding me. It's been a few weeks.

Re:reducing eye strain

[ottothecow]

- reduce the monitor color temperature setting to no more then 6000

Why is this?

Re:reducing eye strain

[Chattah]

"- reduce the monitor color temperature setting to no more then 6000" I just changed the temp on my monitor from 9300k to 6500k and I must say that just made a WORLD of difference. Almost instantly I could feel my eye strain go away. I can't set it lower or the screen looks too yellow for me. Thanks for the tip

Lighting, Monitors and such

[aldragon]

I find that natural lighting is by far the best (I hate the tone of incandecent lights, and florescent lighting flickers too much). However the wierd thing is that my 60Hz CRT is somehow fine for me. (It's the only way I can get 1280x1024 on my 17" monitor, and I can't live below 1280x1024)

bookmarklet - zap white backgrounds

[quiddity]

for webpages, a zap white backgrounds bookmarklet [squarefree.com] will help you out

Black text on mid/light grey

[Simon]

Black text on mid/light grey instead of white is my recommendation. Plenty of contrast and you avoid having to stare at a bright light-bulb thing all day. It's also not too radical. :) (This was the default colour scheme for AmigaOS 2.0 BTW. I don't know why everyone swears by white backgrounds these days).

Also LCDs are way better than CRTs. The image is just plain *sharper* and solid as a rock.

--
Simon

Re:Black text on mid/light grey

[jc42]

... avoid having to stare at a bright light-bulb thing all day.

One of the more elegant descriptions of the problem that I've run across was someone who suggested the question:

"Would you ask your users to stare at a lit flourescent tube for hours at a time"?

Any sensible person would answer "Of course not!"

Then you just point out that a computer screen is in fact a flourescent tube, and a white window is a fully-lit portion of flourescent tube. If your windows have white for a background color, you

Workrave

[eclecticIO]

For a simple fix try Workrave. It's primary use is to prevent RSI, however it also works to prevent stress on the eyes. It has a spiffy popup list of streching exercises and eye exercises to do at your desk.

Workrave [workrave.org]

My tips

[kruczkowski]

At work people laughed at me becouse I don't like florecent light, so if you can "see" the flicker, then don't have any around (I twisted the ones around me to disconnect them).

At home I have a small halogen desklight that is behind my 21". I turn it on at night and it iluminates my desk and the area around the monitor so your not looking at a bight monitor with darkness behind it.

And if you can use a LCD or a laptop.

LCD + CRT dual head = bad idea

[sonamchauhan]

Here's a caution...

I have a dual head setup using a CRT and an LCD, and the combination does _not_ work well together.

My LCD is brighter due to it's backlight, while my CRT is blurrier. Moving my gaze between screens causes a nasty context switch to my eyes.

Look up

[Ratbert42]

Position your monitor so that there's a hallway, window, or something behind it other than a cube / office wall. That way you will look up and focus on something in the distance on a regular basis, without any reminder timers.

Hz HZ hz Hz (hertz(

[Diablo Rojo]

CRT screens have the refresh from up to down, 60 times per second, 85 times, 100 times etc. The less the refresh rate is the flicker effect is bigger(image trembels). On Lcd screens the refresh rate it is not done by line like on CRT is done by pixel, this reduces the flicker effect GREATLY so your eyes don't get tired that fast. It is not that the background is white, it is the flicker effect that is bigger. This is the main source for eye strain in my opinion. The monitor isn't as bright as the light ou

what about slashdot

[cshah 1]

so how do i change the background of slashdot? Thanks for the tips, they really help.

Re:what about slashdot

[Ziviyr]

If Slashdot would get with the now, you'd have a number of CSS stylesheets to choose from.

Proper setup

[adolf]

I find that setting things up properly can make a world of difference.

First, some background: Most CRT products are set up out of the box in what could only be described as "torch mode." The color temperature is set so high that the thing appears blueish in almost all lighting, and the contrast at such a setting that most shades of grey are pushed up the gamut until they're all white.

They're configured this way not as an engineering decision to improve visual quality, but as a marketing decision to sell

low cost solution

[EEgopher]

In addition to using grey backgrounds with black text, I wear a pair of $10 clear-tint Panama Jack sunglasses (block 100% ultraviolet) that I bought in Florida. Not only do they provide instant comfort without darkening anything, but they are humongously stylish, and help start conversations.