Monitor Flicker is an issue that has been with us as long as monitors have existed. Screen refresh cycles (that is how the image on your monitor is refreshed and re-drawn when necessary) - while very quick and not easily observable to the naked eye for most people, can cause significant impact to the comfort of your monitor use.
CRTs all had flicker, some more than others of course, but even the best still had easily observable flicker to those with sensitive eyes.
Modern LCD monitors initially reduced this issue as they were lit in a more continuous manner by fluorescent backlights, but one side effect of the recent move to LED backlighting in these monitors is that flicker has again returned as a problem, particularly at lower brightness levels (which are unfortunately also the more comfortable levels to work at!).
Fortunately, some manufacturer's - most notably Eizo - have developed techniques for dimming LCDs that do not induce flicker.
Another key aspect of monitor induced eye fatigue is the level of blue light a monitor is emitting. LED backlights are very strong in blue light, and for many this appears to cause more issues with monitor fatigue. To mitigate this, your monitor should have excellent control over brightness and whitepoint.
In this section we collect those models best for people with eye and headache sensitivity when using monitors. We have had many customers purchase these, including many who would be described as severely affected by this issue, and choosing these models has, quite simply, made the difference in them being able to carry on working.
We have a demo model here in our office and you're very welcome to come and use it for a while to see how well theses screens will work for you.
Eizo's EV range is their entry level colour accurate range of monitors - but they're also designed specifically to combat eye fatigue issues.
This is the full range, and we highlight the key features relevant to eye fatigue below:
Brightness control through DC dimming instead of classic PWM dimming is difficult to engineer whilst still producing excellent image quality. Eizo monitors have extensive and unique circuitry to achieve excellent quality, flicker free displays even at low brightness levels
It's easy on these screens to drastically reduce the output of fatiguing blue light from the screen through excellent controls for fine adjustment of whitepoint and brightness - leading to high quality display with a fraction of the typical blue light output for LED lit monitors.
If the light level in your working environment varies during your work day, this feature means the monitor can automatically adjust the brightness of the monitor to the ideal level.
Offering more adjustment than typical monitor stands, you'll be able to get your monitor in to the right position for your back and neck. Correct ergonomics can drastically reduce fatigue and headache issues associated with extended monitor use.
These disperse light and make the monitor much more comfortable to use than gloss screens. You won't need to move your head to avoid annoying reflection issues, and dissipates reflected light from your environment, making for a better, quieter to the eye display.
These monitors have a 'Paper' preset mode that sets the monitor straight in to a low brightness, low contrast, low blue light mode that is a quick way to get started with the screen. Of course you can create your own user settings to get it just the way you like it as well!
