CRTs -> migraines?

[nombrecinq]

I just had a really bad migraine last weekend and now it's really hard for me to stare at my 4 year old 19" Dell (Sony) monitor. Could the headache have been triggered by prolonged use of a CRT? Maybe it's time for me to invest in a good LCD. It's gotta be good for gaming because I just bought an X800XL.

 

[bob4432]

being an extremely long time sufferer of migraines (22+ years), i have read and talked to many neurologists about this.

basically it is refresh rate, you might be more sensitive to a person that does not have migraines. turn it up as high as your monitor and graphics card can handle.

the docs have told me that some people that have migraines are much more sensitive to light flickering, like at 60Hz, i can really see the refresh and need my monitor set to atleast 75-85Hz.

when i have a migraine any light is horrible and i usually stay in a dark room for the duration of the migraine. in my home all light has to be under a shade, a bright light is very uncomfortable to me and so are bright reflections.

if the higher refresh rate does not fix the problem, i would go get a nice lcd at a store like best buy in case that does not fix the problem, so you could return it, then go see a doc.

 

[flatblastard]

I suppose it would depend upon your sensitivity level to such emissions. I would say the monitor likely is not the cause of your migraine, but I'm no doctor so don't take my word for it. Go get a checkup and see what a real doctor has to say would be my advice. Of course, downgrading/upgrading (depending on how you look at it) to an LCD monitor might not be a bad idea if you suffer from eyestrain/headaches. Some folks are more sensitive than others, but it's not the technology which should be blamed. Blame god. j/k

 

[Elcs]

When I was younger, I suffered from severe migraines but as I grew up, with the aid of medication, I outgrew them.

Nowadays I suffer the random headache that most people will get now and again. Sometimes a migraine.

Switching from CRT to LCD is an awkward step from a stand-point of my eyes.

My CRT is slightly crap by way of at the brightest settings I can find, its still dark.

When i first got it, it was blazing light at me. I felt as though I was staring at something quite bright and even once Id found the light controls and set it to a reasonable brightness, I found for the first week or 2, I could hardly bear to be at my LCD.

I could last 1-2 hours max at it. I was thinking, 'have I made a mistake in buying an LCD?'. I persevered and now, theres only 1 reason I keep myself from going dual LCD's. My LCD suits my gaming needs but it really does suck for watching Football (soccer if you must ).

Despite the initial teething problems I encountered, for eye-strain and migraine/headaches, LCD's are the better choice in my experience.

 

[nombrecinq]

I think it's time for me to pick up a LCD. I want something either 17" or 19" that has good color reproduction and has a fast refresh rate for games. Any recommendations?

 

[ryanv12]

Going from CRT to LCD was like night and day. I absolutely love the brightness of LCD displays, and it's so much easier on my eyes being able to see the screen well in a well lighted environment. I have a hard time using CRTs now if I have to.

 

[7earitup]

I love my Hyundai L90D+. I switched from a flat screen SamSung CRT to this LCD and I agree that it is like night and day. Not only is this LCD excellent for gaming, it has a beautiful display and is plenty big. The only downside I have to LCDs is the chance of pixels being bad brand new. I have one red stuck pixel on my LCD but I have learned to live with it. Back on topic, the main reason I switched was because of fatigue eye wise and I was getting these insane headaches. This was a big no-no because not only do I play on my computer for 4-5 hours a day, I also work on it for 8 hours a day. =)

 

[ExpertNovice]

Flickering can trigger migraines. As suggested, try setting the refresh rate to 75 or 85.

Originally posted by: ryanv12
Going from CRT to LCD was like night and day. I absolutely love the brightness of LCD displays, and it's so much easier on my eyes being able to see the screen well in a well lighted environment. I have a hard time using CRTs now if I have to.

My Dell 2005FPW LCD is so bright that it hurts my eyes badly when working with Excel, Access, Word, etc. Good CRTs are SO much better than the current affordable LCDs. (There is an LCD that is discounted down to almost $7,800 that may be better than a good LCD.)

Of course, since CRTs are being phased out we have no choice.

Now, I'm not sure if I will be keeping my Dell 2405 yet. I used Spyder2 to set the gamma to 2.2 and once set if the "brightness" on the monitor is turned down to 0 I can work on it for an hour before needing to close my eyes and resting. (I *CAN* work well over 24 hours on a good CRT without such problems.) However, I have purchased La Cie Blue Eye 2 to try and change the gamma to 2.4 or 2.5 or 2.6 or what ever it takes to make the monitor useable.

So far tuning software has cost me more than the monitor but I am committed to trying the new technology.

(edited to correctly state that I currently own a 2005FPW and NOT a 2405FPW.)

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: ExpertNovice
Flickering can trigger migraines. As suggested, try setting the refresh rate to 75 or 85.

Originally posted by: ryanv12
Going from CRT to LCD was like night and day. I absolutely love the brightness of LCD displays, and it's so much easier on my eyes being able to see the screen well in a well lighted environment. I have a hard time using CRTs now if I have to.

My Dell 2405FPW LCD is so bright that it hurts my eyes badly when working with Excel, Access, Word, etc. Good CRTs are SO much better than the current affordable LCDs. (There is an LCD that is discounted down to almost $7,800 that may be better than a good LCD.)

Of course, since CRTs are being phased out we have no choice.

Now, I'm not sure if I will be keeping my Dell 2405 yet. I used Spyder2 to set the gamma to 2.2 and once set if the "brightness" on the monitor is turned down to 0 I can work on it for an hour before needing to close my eyes and resting. (I *CAN* work well over 24 hours on a good CRT without such problems.) However, I have purchased La Cie Blue Eye 2 to try and change the gamma to 2.4 or 2.5 or 2.6 or what ever it takes to make the monitor useable.

So far tuning software has cost me more than the monitor but I am committed to trying the new technology.

could you point me in the direction of the $7800 lcd, i just want to read about it

also, are crts being phased out like floppy drives?

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Not in a few years. LCD prices are still too high for budget systems

 

[Maximilian]

I feared static from CRT's more than migranes. The ones we had in our old school, you could collect a ton of static in your hand then touch somthing metal and it would give you one hella shock. Or touch somones ear n give them one hella shock :shocked:

 

[ExpertNovice]

Originally posted by: bob4432
could you point me in the direction of the $7800 lcd, i just want to read about it

also, are crts being phased out like floppy drives?

Good news, the IBM T221 LCD price has dropped to $7,500. This monitor showed me that eventually the move to LCDs will be worth the torture of today.
MSRP: $8,586.95 Sale: $7,477.95
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?lev...hopping%20Comp-_-Datafeed-_-Technology

There is also a version with an MSRP of about $11,000, if you are interested.



Not like floppy drives. FDDs are being phased out because of the reduced need for them. CRT's are being phased out because of world government regulations.

 

[CraigRT]

I find LCD's harder on the eyes than CRT's... of course that's only when the CRT is running at a resonable refresh rate of 85Hz or more. anything 75Hz and below is eyestrain city.

 

[ExpertNovice]

Originally posted by: nombrecinq
I think it's time for me to pick up a LCD. I want something either 17" or 19" that has good color reproduction and has a fast refresh rate for games. Any recommendations?

I said earlier that I got the 2405FPW. Wrong... I got the 2005FPW. That will be corrected.

Of all the LCD monitors that I looked at or read reviews of, the Dells (I really hate Dell) appear to be the best. The 2005FPW is a very nice monitor. Refurbished can be had for under $500, including shipping and tax. The 2405FPW may be a better monitor, but wow, what a resolution!

The 2001FP is a good choice for a large monitor.

The 1905FP is a good choice for a "smaller" monitor.

I can't recommend any other monitors they may carry because I did not look at them.

Google LCD reviews and check them out.

Be very sure your video adapter can handle the native resolution of the LCD monitor you are receiving. Also, before shutting down your computer, change the refresh rate to 60Hz. The 2005FPW made the adjustment but some monitors will simply not operate because it can't handle the refresh rate being provided. In those cases (I presume) you must enter safe mode, change the refresh, and reboot.

If you know nothing about LCD monitors here are two points.
1. ignore the specs of rates, contrast, etc. most are worse than just stepped in fresh manure.
2. get a monitor that has the resolution you want. That is. If you want 1024x768 DO NOT get a 2005FPW whose resolution is 1680x1050. You can change the resolution of a CRT and still have a beautiful image. It is not so easy with an LCD, although currently I'm playing WoW in 1280x800 resolution in windowed mode. My 256MB 5500 can't handle full resolution and even at 1280x only gives me 14fps.

 

[ExpertNovice]

Originally posted by: Soviet
I feared static from CRT's more than migranes. The ones we had in our old school, you could collect a ton of static in your hand then touch somthing metal and it would give you one hella shock. Or touch somones ear n give them one hella shock :shocked:

JUST in case your comment was not designed to be humorous.... (there was no /sarcasm or to indicate possible humor.

Obviously you have never had a migraine.

Of course you may actually find that true. Most would rather have a quick shock that surprises you than laying in bed because they are too nautious to move, drink, or eat. Besides, they can't see because of the blinding light that is covering all but their peripheal vision. Luckily the headache itself only feels like a hammer beating on the head and is no where near the intensity of a cluster headache.

 

[ExpertNovice]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
I find LCD's harder on the eyes than CRT's... of course that's only when the CRT is running at a resonable refresh rate of 85Hz or more. anything 75Hz and below is eyestrain city.

I argree. Even on a high end CRT (no longer available) I can see a bit of flickering at 85 Hz at 1028x768 on a 19" monitor. On the other hand, a friend of mine runs his 17" monitors at 1600x1200 and at 60 Hz and has no trouble.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: ExpertNovice

Originally posted by: Soviet
I feared static from CRT's more than migranes. The ones we had in our old school, you could collect a ton of static in your hand then touch somthing metal and it would give you one hella shock. Or touch somones ear n give them one hella shock :shocked:

JUST in case your comment was not designed to be humorous.... (there was no /sarcasm or to indicate possible humor.

Obviously you have never had a migraine.

Of course you may actually find that true. Most would rather have a quick shock that surprises you than laying in bed because they are too nautious to move, drink, or eat. Besides, they can't see because of the blinding light that is covering all but their peripheal vision. Luckily the headache itself only feels like a hammer beating on the head and is no where near the intensity of a cluster headache.

agreed - the only thing i can compare with people who don't suffer from migraines is broken bones. when i broke both the bones in my arm, i really thought it would hurt a lot worse, but in reality, it didn't, i was actually kind of shocked that it didn't hurt much at all. i was able to have my wife go get the car, and while she did that, i was able to use my good arm to take off my rollerblades(damn things) fine, and wait for her to come back with the car. no biggie. pt hurt, but not compared to a migraine.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: ExpertNovice

Originally posted by: bob4432
could you point me in the direction of the $7800 lcd, i just want to read about it

also, are crts being phased out like floppy drives?

Good news, the IBM T221 LCD price has dropped to $7,500. This monitor showed me that eventually the move to LCDs will be worth the torture of today.
MSRP: $8,586.95 Sale: $7,477.95
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?lev...hopping%20Comp-_-Datafeed-_-Technology

There is also a version with an MSRP of about $11,000, if you are interested.



Not like floppy drives. FDDs are being phased out because of the reduced need for them. CRT's are being phased out because of world government regulations.

link says it is not available online. is it a 42"lcd or something?