[kevinh90]

I usually am on the computer 6-7 hours each day and my eyes feel less stressed if the refresh rate is higher than 75 Hz. Mine is set to 100hz and the screen seems less stressfull on eyes than a lcd. it is the low standard refresh that causes eyestrain not just because it is a crt or lcd. on lcd screens there is less stress because of barely noticeable ghosting. the only reason crt screens make your eyes stress is from not blinking and to prevent you from forgetting to blink raise the refresh. you can only effectively raise the refresh on crt screens that allow that option. Some graphics carhs do not support chaging the refresh

This can be done by:
1. right clicking on the desktop
2. click properties
3. select the settings tab
4. click on the Advanced button
5. select the monitor tab
6. change the screen refresh rate up above 60 Hertz
7. click apply
If your screen becomes garbled then just wait 15 seconds and it will undo the changes

[activematrix]

Hmm now this is definitly some interesting reading! - I should send the origional article to our HR people to stop them moaning.

The interesting thing to note with CRT monitors however is the emission which they give out. The most dangerous place to be is behind a monitor as this will send a meter off the scale. There is still a moderate amount of emissions which come out the front, however this is not the case with LCD screens.

Where possible use LCD, both for stability of the image (due to refresh rate) and for lack of emissions.

Old CRT screens are also bad. The magnetic field which helps hold the image together (when the CR Tubes are shooting the light around) this means older screens are less accurate with their positioning of light which causes issues with refresh rates etc.

[glexp]

Refresh rate for CRT's and LCD's are quite similar. They both can and will "refresh" at 60 Hz. However, in the case of the CRT, "refresh" really means just that. Since there is but a single set of dots (Red, Blue, and Green) racing around the screen, the CRT's phosphor must be updated regularly much like DRAM, lest it loses information (actually, the "light" in the phosphor fades out...see my previous post where I mention persistence). An LCD (active matrix, that is) is not prone to fading out as each pixel is comprised of "active" devices (transistors) that maintain the light levels (much like SRAM) until it is changed by the next frame.

[Timmy123]

With regards for TFT's not hurting your eye's, I can vouch for that. If I remember correctly from Biology (I hope I do - I'm sitting a Science GCSE paper on monday...) the reason your eyes hurt is because you don't change focus. Your eye's have to work harder to focus on something near you than something further away, as the muscles in them have to contract to reduce the curvature of the lens in your eye. That's partly why blinking helps - when you blink, you can relax your eye muscles. Another thing that helps is just glancing at objects different distances away every now and then, to let your eyes relax and change focus. I look out through my window at the open land opposite, and that works well.

[OsirisX]

I've also heard that looking a nature helps, especially the green, helps you relax your eyes.

[Mac33]

Very interesting comment Timmy.

[Bayman]

You should take a vision break (no not an excuse for coffee etc.) every 20 mins, by looking away and focusing on far away objects.


~Bayman~

[sierra1991]

I've always thought that it was the action of making your eyes focus on the same point for long, that caused problems for your eyes when sitting in front of a screen 40 hours a week at work.

The last time I for an eye test, the optician said that screens don't cause your eyesight to deteriorate, it just shows up problem that have been there all along?!!

Hmmm, I've been in IT for 9 years and my eyesight is nowhere near as good as it was before then....

[blankster]

LCD's are easier on your eyes, but so is a CRT with a flat screen. i have a viewsonic A70F+ and my eyes very rarely get tired.. also if you turn down brightness it helps too

[willieguy_2001]

OK I wanna clear up the LCD vs CRT thing. LCDs put very little stress on your eyes. Since I got my 17" LCD, I don't have to take breaks to rest my eyes (it's good to do anyway though). CRTs have a very high flicker; that's why you see the lines going down them when they are shown on TV. LCDs adjust one pixel at a time instead of the whole screen or something.