Is it possible that 144hz causes eye strain?

[Justforcause]

Hey all,

I have a flicker free display ViewSonic XG2401. It should be flicker free. Yesterday I played Owerwatch for 2 hours and my eyes went dry and hurt. Is it possible that it is the switch from 60hz to 144hz that causes the pain and that my eyes will eventually adjust?

J.

 

[Nova Web]

If your graphic card (GPU) supports 144Hz output, then you should change it asap. It's somewhere, depending on your GPU drivers (AMD or Nvidia) and also try from Right-click on desktop > Resolution > Advance settings > Monitor> change refresh rate.. On Windows 10:
Right click on the free area on the desktop, then click on “Display Settings”
Click on the “Advanced settings”->Go to the “Monitor” panel->Under the Monitor settings, set “Screen refresh rate” and press “OK”.

Depends much on your configuration, if it's a dua Intel/Nvidia GPU etc. but you should set it on 144Hz if your GPU supports it.

 

[Justforcause]

I am sorry maybe I have phrased the question incorrectly. I have done all of what you just advised of course. The thing is the refresh rate itself. I have for sure 144hz and my question is if it may cause eye strain just the shift from 60hz monitor to 144hz monitor. Or if it just a question of adjusting to it.

Edit. My GPU is gtx 1070

 

[Nova Web]

I am sorry maybe I have phrased the question incorrectly. I have done all of what you just advised of course. The thing is the refresh rate itself. I have for sure 144hz and my question is if it may cause eye strain just the shift from 60hz monitor to 144hz monitor. Or if it just a question of adjusting to it.

Edit. My GPU is gtx 1070

Sorry, I get it now and nope, it should be less harmful to your eyes. There are many factors which cause eye strain, for example certain colors, variation of light (you know those kind of lighting effects that can cause seizures to photosensitive people), the distance between you and the display and so on.

My suggestion would be to try different settings also take short breaks after every hour spent in front of it if possible.
But mainly try to adjust the luminosity to a comfortable level (not eye popping) and avoid flashing/blinking effects, those can induce headaches, eye strain etc.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I was going to say, higher refresh rates I would think would cause less eyestrain, as it's closer to what the eye sees naturally instead of seeing a constant (even if less perceivable) judder/refresh from a lower refresh panel. I know gaming @60fps looks weird/jarring after gaming @144 for a while. It is possible the brightness is different with your new monitor though. Trying toning brightness/contrast down a bit and see if it helps.

 

[realibrad]

Are you at a constant 144? If you are bouncing around 144 and below that can cause eye strain. 144 frames is hard to push. While your monitor may be locked at 144,. If your settings keep your GPU below that and you bounce around that can do it.

 

[XeoNoX]

what realbrad said is true, but you may also want to try to find a 'flicker free' monitor that uses DC current instead of Pulse Width Modulation to control brightness. PWM has been known to cause eyestrain to some people (such as myself). You may also have to play with the brightness and contrast settings, try tuning them down, some monitors are just way too bright and are meant for very well lit rooms, if you are in a dim to dark room, you may have to adjust brightness/contrast. Also glare is your worst enemy, eliminate glare first.

to answer your question 144hz may cause eyestrain if your monitor was spec'd at 144hz but its more of a "overlocked 144hz" or if your video card/video drivers doesnt properly support it may cause eyestrain due to it fluctuating the 144hz, try settings a lower refresh rate for a few days and see if it helps.

First try to determine what is causing your eyestrain, but don't destroy your eyesight trying to.

-- Yes, PWM flicker can be an eyestrain problem. However, it's often over-blamed / mis-diagnosed (e.g. 50% of the blame is sometimes incorrect). Half of the time, PWM is a red herring for other eyestrain causes. Half of the time, PWM is a genuine cause. Forewarned is forearmed.

-- Excessive brightness can sometimes create more eyestrain than the PWM dimming.

-- Excessively low contrast can sometimes create more eyestrain than the PWM dimming.

-- Bad screen colors / bad color spectrum for LED backlights (excessive amounts of blue), can create more eyestrain than the PWM dimming.

-- If you are often sedate, and are now tracking your eyes more often with the new monitor, you might be over-exercising your eyes. (very rare factor, but leaving no stone unturned). If it happens even just staring at monitor, this almost certainly is not the cause.

-- If you loved CRT's (never got eyestrain with CRT's), if your monitor supports lightboost or similar technology try to enable LightBoost and use LightBoost strobe brightness. Some people (including myself and CallSignVega) get less eyestrain with LightBoost due to lack of motion blur, outweighing the LightBoost flicker. It will help people who preferred the CRT-clarity look, but won't help people who are genuinely flicker-sensitive.
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I would highly advise returning the any monitor that hurts your eyes if you cannot solve the problem; no reason to destroy your eyesight over a monitor that doesn't suite you properly.