Sijun Forums :: View topic - Important question about monitor and eyes !!!

Max · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2002 12:33 pm

Is it bad for the eyes to look on the monitor in a dark room?

Or should there be a second lightsource?

How much herz is "good" for the eyes?

I really wanna know this.
I am Sure you have an answer...

[ September 14, 2002: Message edited by: Max Kulich ]

Frost · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2002 12:38 pm

Second/ambiant lightsource very recommended.
Highest refresh rate best.

Torstein Nordstrand · Posted: Sat Sep 14, 2002 5:05 pm

I turn off ceiling lights when I work, but I keep a small lamp located behind the screen, lighting up the wall behind the monitor, and the bouncing light fills the room a little. That way there are no major reflecting lightsources on the screen.

80 Hz and up is decent for the eyes, 75 is tiresome to me and I can see the "wavering uneasiness" on-screen. 60 is baaad. 90 is top notch, anything higher is unnecessary, IMO.

Max · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 1:49 am

Ahh, thank's guys.
My eyes will live longer........

ValarianROOT · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 2:16 am

Contrary to popular misconception reading in the dark, watching TV to close, and using your comp in the dark will not actually hurt your eyes.

JN

Dawi · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 3:29 am

Thanks Torstein!!!

I've had these annoying wave lines on my screen all since I got it. You can't imagine how much I've hated them being there.

After reading your post I immediately checked my refresh rate and found out that it was 60! I changed it to 85 and now everything is perfect!

Thanks again!

Sukhoi · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 4:21 am

And remember not to put speakers directly next to the monitor!

It creates interference.

Just a little note.

Sukhoi

Max · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 12:04 pm

Really Sukhoi?
I didn't know that.
Thank's.

JFreak · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 1:00 pm

How close is too close?

Sukhoi · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 3:07 pm

Try moving them away...if the image gets better, keep moving them until the image gets as good as it can.

I see people doing this all the time and I go "ahem, you're having problems with your moitor"? "yeah" (they say). Then I say "ok, let's try this then"!

Sukhoi

Xiphoid · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 3:48 pm

Actually, Valarian, contrary to the contrary of popular belief that using a monitor / watching TV in a dark room doesn't hurt your eyes, doing so is not without negative effects.

Firstly, the darker your surroundings, the larger your pupils dialate to let in light. When you sit in a dark room and stare at a bright light source (monitor, TV, etc.), you are allowing a lot more light into your already extra-dialated eyes. Monitors and other electromagnetic devices don't give off much radiation, but there IS a small amount. By allowing your eyes to be even more dialated, you will absorb even more of it.

Though this usually won't cause permenant harm immediately, over years and years, you could face some trouble in the future. Most health-related 'exposure' issues aren't next-day occurances... it takes years for the effects to be felt. Nonetheless, its still happening, so you might as well do what you can to prevent it.

Secondly, forcing your eyes to focus on very bright light (like monitor or TV) in an otherwise dark room WILL tire the eyes out sooner on a dialy basis (ever try reading in the dark VS reading in the light?). This won't wreck your eyes immediately either, but it CAN lead to shortterm effects like headache, fatigue, etc. etc. Why put yourself through that?

Basically, sitting in the dark staring at a bright light for hours on end, for days and months and years of your life is a pretty silly thing to do, 'contrary to popular belief' or not. The very small 'advantages' one might gain from the raised contrast of a monitor in the dark or the absence of reflections is lost on the potential health risks (long and shortterm) for such an idea.

Do your eyes a favour and just turn on another light.

major fatal · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 4:43 pm

Special thanks to Xiphoid, =)
(saved me some work in replying aiding the good cause)
amen. +<:)

Torstein Nordstrand · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 5:34 pm

Huge light/dark contrasts in general will tire the eye, methinks. That's why having a lightsource behind your monitor is neat, cause the image you see on screen is less affected by reflected light, and your eye doesn't have to deal with the intense contrasts.

Oh, and I thought desktop speakers for pc should be magnetically shielded(?). I'm using two monitors btw, and they're spaced less than a centimeter/inch apart. Works like a charm, no interference

Ian Jones · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 7:38 pm

I have always been told that working in the dark is bad, it does indeed tire your eyes.

One thing you can do to save your eyes a bit when working with a computer is to look away and change your focal length every 10 minutes or so (My optometrist told me to do this). Otherwise you can imagine the problems of staring at a screen for hours on end. One way I get around this is I have to look at the keyboard to type sometimes... its not that I'm a bad typer (*sarcasm*) of course... its my method of changing focal length now and then.

GG · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 11:08 pm

Prolonged siting at the computer in the dark making digital art can also effect your posture causeing a hunched back. Your skin can become jaundiced or take on an unhealthy glow. The muscles in your eyes become over-worked making them enlarge and bug out. Eventually you will avoid the sun all-together, and you won't miss it because you are beginning to have panic attacks if you journey more than a few feet from your Wacom tablet, which you now endearingly call "my Precious...".

bld · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2002 11:41 pm

Just have a desk lamp pointed at the wall behind the monitor, no glare, and back lighting.

-HoodZ- · Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 1:23 am

hmmm i have speakers right next to the monitor and it works fine....

good topic by the way

major fatal · Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 4:18 am

Thats because some speakers are magnetically shielded (like yours for example)...that way they can not (are almost not) interferre with your monitormagnets.
(forgot to add or you have an lcd display

Anyway its the emi, (low frequency electromagnetic interference.) that is giving distortments.

[ September 16, 2002: Message edited by: major fatal ]

egerie · Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 9:35 am

Contrary to popular misconception....
Been working an average of 14 hours / day in front of a 19" at 85 hz for 8 months now. My vision went down half a point the optometrist told me yesterday.

Cathodic screens are bad for your health end of story. We should all take a 5 mins break every hour and look far away, working on varying the focus we put on our eyes.

I hope I'll go blind not before neural eye implants thingamajigs.

B0b · Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2002 2:54 am

ok general H&S for use of monitors

70Htz is the Inudustry Standard in Refresh of monitors, depending on ur lighting in the office u may need to go higher (i know that strip lighting can have an affect on ur eyes @ 70 + 75) 60Hz is a definate no no.. you should always have a light on when working with any type of viewing device be it TV or Monitor

every 2 hours make sure u have a 5minute break from looking at ur screen

pick a distant object and look at it then cover 1 eye and look at a near object then the distant object do this at least 5 times, repeat for the 2nd eye, this will exersise your eyes after focusing on your monitor for so long..

also your monitor should b arms length or more away from your sitting position