ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Richard T. Ferris) (10/28/89)
Recently I have noticed I have been getting eyestrain and my eyes have been getting worse. I use an amber monitor (PGS Max-12) for at least 4 hours per day. The question is would a VGA monitor reduce my eyestrain by allowing me to reduce the contrast and/or reset the colors to a more pleasant mix? Now some might think that this is just a ploy to upgrade (and maybe it is). But nevertheless, has anyone seen literature or had experience which would shed light on the question? Thanks. RF Richard T. Ferris ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu University of Pennsylvania
pault@hp-ptp.HP.COM (Paul_Taira) (10/31/89)
>/ hp-ptp:comp.sys.ibm.pc / ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Richard T. Ferris) / 7:00 am Oct 28, 1989 / >Recently I have noticed I have been getting eyestrain and my >eyes have been getting worse. I use an amber monitor (PGS Max-12) >for at least 4 hours per day. The question is would a VGA >monitor reduce my eyestrain by allowing me to reduce the contrast >and/or reset the colors to a more pleasant mix? Now some might >think that this is just a ploy to upgrade (and maybe it is). >But nevertheless, has anyone seen literature or had experience >which would shed light on the question? Thanks. > >RF > >Richard T. Ferris >ferris@eniac.seas.upenn.edu >University of Pennsylvania >---------- When my PGS Max-12e died, I purchased a Packard Bell White Screen (black background with white text) and I found the white text was much easier to read (especially after >8 hours). I was also able to find one for ~$100 at the local computer store. Paul Taira pault@hp-ptp.ptp.hp.com
murphyn@cell.mot.COM (Neal P. Murphy) (10/31/89)
In article <16068@netnews.upenn.edu> you write: >Recently I have noticed I have been getting eyestrain and my >eyes have been getting worse. I use an amber monitor (PGS Max-12) > ... In the past 10 years, I've noted a couple interesting things about CRT's: - paper white phosphor is still the easiest on the eyes (Why is most writing paper white?) Anything else is hard on the eyes. - monitors are usually set on as sharp a focus as possible. - in an attempt to compensate for the poor quailty image, people a) turn the brightness up in an attempt to merge/blend the scan lines. The increased brightness causes eye strain, or they b) leave the brightness down, and squint to make out the characters; and because the brain work so much harder to decipher the non-contiguous characters, they get eye strain. Color resolution is generally not as good as mono (at least for text). The solution? Get a good mono monitor with paper-white phosphor (good meaning it draws the corners nearly as well at it draws the center), de-focus the electron beam so that the scan lines just begin to blend, and keep the brightness at a tolerably low level. Also keep the monitor at least an arm's length away from your face. This will ensure that the monitor is not to blame for your eyestrain. Also, you could be at that age (for me it was 28-30) when your eyes simply will not perform such feats of focus any longer: I'd bet that you are unable to instantly change your focus from a book on your lap to a TV across the room. You may want to consult with your optometrist and perhaps get a prescription for glasses that will assist you at specifically two feet. If this is not a viable solution, greatly increase the ambient lighting in the room containing the monitor, and increase its brightness as well. Theory here is the same as a camera: with more light entering your eyes, your pupils close down, giving you a much wider depth of field, thereby reducing the amount of focusing work your eyes must perform. Finally, ensure that your posture while sitting at the screen is not causing problems. You should sit so that your elbows and wrists are supported: elbows such that your arms are not pulling down on your shoulders, wrists such that your arms are not pulling forward on your shoulders. You should also sit such that your head is balanced on your shoulders (no joke - your should neither be holding your head back or holding it forward to keep it vertical. Ah, ha! you say. What about the old typists' posture? That was great, back when they used manual keyboards and were constantly pushing down on their arms while applying pressure to the keys. Today, your fingers do all the work. The rest of your body is (or should be) quiescent. If it isn't, discomfort builds up. (These relaxed-posture ideas are also applicable to long-distance driving. Applying them, I had no trouble driving 18-22 hours a day, back when I was driving cross-country a lot.) For one example of what I mean, watch en episode of Star Trek, The Next Generation. Observe the helm/navigation stations (between the command chair and the main viewer. Their fingers do most of the work, so their workstation is designed to allow the rest of the muscles in their bodies to be as relaxed as possible. If I'm out in right field, don't hesitate to tell me. NPN