To 24" iMac owner. Does your eyes hurt?

[crazycat]

I am enjoying my 24" iMac (latest) modle but my eyes keep hurting me after watching a few tv shows on it, i used to have a 20" iMac (latest modle aswell) but did not supper from this problem, even when i switch the brightness to lowest my eyes hurt a bit.

I can play +5 hours on my other computers without my eyes hurting me but 2-3 hours on the 24" iMac and my eyes start to hurt, is this normal?

[marcg007]

I also have top of line iMac and have spent many hours at it pretty much non stop and have not had any problems. Have you tried lowering the brightness?

[cheeseadiddle]

No problems. But I have corrective lenses just for sitting at the computer too.

[czachorski]

I'm no optic dr or anything, but is it possible that the larger screen causes your eyes to strain because of the wider viewing field?

[crazycat]

I'm no optic dr or anything, but is it possible that the larger screen causes your eyes to strain because of the wider viewing field?

It is possible, here are the facts.

- I use contact lenses, my right eye uses a stronger lens then the left eye by a large margin. More then 3 points.
- The only problem i have is with the 24" iMac.
- I used a 23" Dell screen and a 23' Mac cinema display for hours without any problems.
- I have had no problems with my 20" iMac, which i used a little less the the 24" iMac.

[Kinkade]

I never have any problems with my eyes. Before my 24" iMac I had a windows laptop with a 15" screen.

I wear contacts and my right eye is about trice as bad as my left.

I watch allot of movies and TV shows on it, and play games for hours on end and only after a long time would my eyes strain, but no more then if I spent the same amount of time staring at a TV or any other screen.

It could be the bigger screen and your eyes aren't used to such a big screen so close to your face. Try moving the screen a little further away from you.

[n-abounds]

I eagerly await the grammar-checking capabilities of Leopard.

"Does you eyes hurt?"

[HLdan]

I use my Alu iMac for work so I am on it all day for at least 12 hrs daily and no eye strain. It's more of a pleasure to look at over my old Powerbook matte.:)

[grovertdog]

I found the out of the box al-iMac a bit harsh on the eyes- then I ran the OS/X calibration app in System Prefs/Display/Color, and found the result much more pleasing.

[Tom B.]

My guess would be that it's something to do with the glossiness of the iMac. Thats the only major difference I can think of between the Dell, the Cinema display and the iMac screen.

[djc6]

I too experienced problems immediately after getting my 24" iMac:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=342644

I mentioned it to a friend of mine, and he was able to properly diagnose the problem. I had the computer too close. The sensation I experienced around my eyes was exactly like trying bring your hand into focus when its about an inch from your face - it felt like I was forcing my eyes wide open all the time. He pointed me at this page: http://www.office-ergo.com/viewing.htm

The source of my discomfort was because of 'Convergence' - "when the eyes turn inward toward the nose when we view close objects."

Why did I have the LCD so close?? The dpi on the 24" imac is a LOT higher than the displays I'm used to using, so the print is much smaller. Because the print is so small, I kept bringing the display closer in so I could read it.

I also think the display is too bright. I've got it down all the way and its still too bright for me. Check out this application, it might help:

http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/shades

I'm hoping Leopard will allow you to make the display even dimmer than Tiger, but probably not :) I can understand how there is a limit to a display's brightness, but I don't see why you can't make it dimmer.

[crazycat]

Thanks for the information guys, i really appreciate it. I will move the iMac back and dim the screen a bit, i hope it helps. If it would not improve it seems i might have to move back to my 20" iMac, sad since i really love the large 24" screen.

[iMartini]

Is your iMac near a window, or are there any light sources that are being reflected by the iMac's glossy screen? That could be a factor as well.

[Yuppi]

I am a recent switcher, and I had some troubles with the new iMac too, but what really helped me was to switch of the anti-aliasing for Fonts smaller than 16 pt. After that it became better. Use the Tinker tool for that setting. I also placed my iMac as far away as I could, and I have some of my applicatons runnning on the ACD which is a bit more comfortable than the iMac. I also calibrated the iMac and use both screens at their lowest brightness. But the ACD really feels more relaxing although it has the same resolution and seems to be quite the same size. So my bet is the glossyness. Altough I don't have any reflections that I could see.

[grantallen]

Something wrong with IMAC screen

I have been using a PC for years and just switched over to mac ( glad I did) but YES there is something wrong, We got a Imac 24" and after not long my eyes hurt and I actually feel my face feel like its been under a heat lamp, THe comp is not close maybe 2 feet, and I got another mac 20" for home, I turned down the brightness but I dont think its that, same issues at home with the 20" and my wifes laptop she has issues with over the PC as well, I love the macs, iphone etc. IF you want you can try this test ITS also GREAT for showing flaws on items that you may buy on line at auction houses, Turn the screen brightness down all the way, and set yout colors to thousands not millions in the system preferences under display.. THEN put the screen about 2 feet away (yes the type will be smaller but I think that can also be set) now tilt your computer so the top of the comp is farther away and the bottom is closer, the brightness goes away and it the contrast gets darker and tighter, NOW if you go to look at something like a book on ebay and do this EVERY flaw fingerprint crease shows, I found this to be an amazing thing when looking at items. TRY IT ITS COOL and it also deflects the heat (although minimal but eyes are very sensative to low heat emissions that your hand cant feel when touching the screen).. make sure you have a light behind you..these screens at night are horrible IF your daring put a 1" piece of wood under the front base to make the screen tilt even more which cuts glare and brightness even more. im new to mac so if anyone knows where there is adjustments other then the slide brightness LET ME KNOW....

yuppi how do I do anti elasing?? what ever that is

Ill try anyting to make this better, its definitly NOT the glare from the case becasue I took dull black tape and covered the shiny case front and still I had problems, ALSO remember the computer is behind the screen making heat and doing its thing, a PCs heat and components are not near the screen so they PS screens run much cooler also I notice that the drive and insides of the imac are moving causing very slight vibrations (put your hand on the imac and feel the slight vibration) this is low but remember our eyes are very sensative and although we cant really feel it we CAN see it and it can be the cause of the problem, ONE way to test this is to buy the Imac tower BUT it will be a costly experiment..if you put your fingers on the screen knuckles to the screen JUST your fingers not the back of the hand youll really feel the vibrations. I tired an experiment (as usual) I put the mack on its back so the screen is likea table, I took a guitar string about 1 foot long and placed it against the screen with tape and the end of the string was vibrating 1/2" of center. SO with all the adjustments there may be a serious flaw and IMAC should let you stop the drive of what ever is vibrating. if your mac is on a desk and you relax and put your wrists on the table YOU can feel the vibration as well. AND the vibration at it strongest is DEAD center, use the finger test I mentioned and move around the screen youll feel it right in the middle...that I think is the main issue...

HERES a way to make a little better

go to system preferences and click display, then click the button COLOR that is next to display, THen choose "calibrate" in that window choose continue. then choose 2.2 gamma and watch the screen get even darker and somehwhat less glaring, click continue and choose native white button then hit continue then in the final window type in TEST, this will be the name for this adjustment so you can always go back and test others but I found this to be a great quick fix to the glare issue...NOW after you do this THEN tilt your screen slightly so the top goes back little by little it will become even better on the eyes.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, change your screen image to the stock gray image, go to system preferences and click desktop & screen saver and for the backround choose the second gray screen under apple images file, I found that annoying blue is makeing me crazy,,test many to see whats best for you, I think something close to the white windows pages and not as drastic as the blue or some busy image will also help...thats it for my input.....

[Yuppi]

I definitely do not have such big troubles as you have. In Tiger I used Tinker Tool to modify the Font smoothing style. In Leopard you can set it up in the regular preferences under Appearance. The last entry is called Font smoothing style and I use Light. Font smoothing uses the RGB nature of displays to kind of introduce additional pixels. Unfortunately those "pixels" are not black as the text but have blue and yellow parts in it. Those parts were causing my eyes to feel tired so quickly.
Try this first. If you still have problems then, you could try increasing the font size setting mentioned below the style. Your fonts will certainly look more ugly, but they have a very high contrast and do not have those additional colors..

[je1ani]

Thank You for bringing up this 3 month old thread.

[matttrick]

it bothered my eyes at first when i got my 20" imac. i was used to a non-widescreen 17" lcd. i had to turn the brightness down and sit a smidge further back. a 24" screen would be too much for me at that viewing distance.

[CWallace]

I cannot say they "hurt", but I notice that higher-resolution content does not fatigue me as much as lower-resolution because it is sharper when expanded to fill my display.

[bluedoggiant]

I eagerly await the grammar-checking capabilities of Leopard.

"Does you eyes hurt?"

lol

I too experienced problems immediately after getting my 24" iMac:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=342644

I mentioned it to a friend of mine, and he was able to properly diagnose the problem. I had the computer too close. The sensation I experienced around my eyes was exactly like trying bring your hand into focus when its about an inch from your face - it felt like I was forcing my eyes wide open all the time. He pointed me at this page: http://www.office-ergo.com/viewing.htm

The source of my discomfort was because of 'Convergence' - "when the eyes turn inward toward the nose when we view close objects."

Why did I have the LCD so close?? The dpi on the 24" imac is a LOT higher than the displays I'm used to using, so the print is much smaller. Because the print is so small, I kept bringing the display closer in so I could read it.

I also think the display is too bright. I've got it down all the way and its still too bright for me. Check out this application, it might help:

http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/shades

I'm hoping Leopard will allow you to make the display even dimmer than Tiger, but probably not :) I can understand how there is a limit to a display's brightness, but I don't see why you can't make it dimmer.

very helpful, thanx

go to system preferences and click display, then click the button COLOR that is next to display, THen choose "calibrate" in that window choose continue. then choose 2.2 gamma and watch the screen get even darker and somehwhat less glaring, click continue and choose native white button then hit continue then in the final window type in TEST, this will be the name for this adjustment so you can always go back and test others but I found this to be a great quick fix to the glare issue...NOW after you do this THEN tilt your screen slightly so the top goes back little by little it will become even better on the eyes.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, change your screen image to the stock gray image, go to system preferences and click desktop & screen saver and for the backround choose the second gray screen under apple images file, I found that annoying blue is makeing me crazy,,test many to see whats best for you, I think something close to the white windows pages and not as drastic as the blue or some busy image will also help...thats it for my input.....

try multi-quote

practically burned my hands right about now, put my hand on the imac, the airport is at 148, and the GPU is at 152 (and some other stuff over 130 degress farenheit), practically burned my hands, i know this is random, i just had to say it, and btw, are these temps normal:p

[grantallen]

OFF the beaten track

I finally took the plunge (after a few beers) to take my wifes emery board and actually FILE groves on each side of my iphone, I found in cold weather the thing kept slipping out of my hands easily "WHY they didnt put thinn rubber strips ill never know" and the rubber cases are so thick its like having a cell phone from the 80's all over again. NOT to mention you cant put it in your pockets that easily because it gripes the material unless you want to impress the ladies by having it in your front pocket BUT then try and answer it fast trying to get the rubber case out...SO if you take a file or a metal saw, cut groves on each side of the aluminum case (not to deep) youll find it will never slip again, ITS not pretty but its better then a smashed screen.

Bluedoggiant

ALSO I agree the 20" is better then the 24" and now im wondering why I even needed the 24" I upgraded thge 20" with more memory for home use and because its ariport I find im bring the full size 20" around the house, NOW all MAC needs to do is have the base allow the keyboard and mouse to clip into and a handel at the top of the screen, THEN youll have the ultimate portable, Think about it, bring it in front of the TV or to the kitchen and look up recipies...CAMON APPLE if you need help JUST EMAIL ME...Yes my wife has the laptop but in her business she likes the larger screen at home and uses the apple book for travel..

Ill test the temps this weekend with a laser thermomoter I use for my chocolate machines at work, its accurate within about .001 degree. the 24" was emitting SO much heat I felt like I was at the tanning salon when I walked away. these apples have fan ports in back but they are the size of a half dollar doing pretty much nothing unlike a PC that has the larger fan but still the heat is not near you on a PC its in the case on the floor. I also STRONGLY STRONGLY suggest you all go to home depot and pick up a replacement charcole filters that you put on home air cleaners (the large kind you have to cut) and get some self adhesive velcro and put a small square on the left and right side of the port strip at the top back of the imac (the air intake) and one piece in the center, Then cust a strip 2" by 17" and place the black charcoal filter on the three velcro tabe you stuck to the back, I did this long ago on my harmon kardon citation 16 power amp with extra filter material that was left over and with in ONE week it had cat hair, dust, all sorts of particles. doing this on the imacs air intake will within a week say WOW glad I did that, especially if your near dust that you cant even see, dust LOVES powered electronics and one $9.99 charcoal replacement filter will yield over 50 or more filters, AND if its gets dusty all you have to to is take it off the velcro and smack it outside against a tree..

FUNNY doing this is just like rug beating in the 1700's primitave but it works...your system will stay cooler longer and eliminate COSTLY dust damage or overheating.

[bluedoggiant]

Ill test the temps this weekend with a laser thermomoter I use for my chocolate machines at work, its accurate within about .001 degree. the 24" was emitting SO much heat I felt like I was at the tanning salon when I walked away. these apples have fan ports in back but they are the size of a half dollar doing pretty much nothing unlike a PC that has the larger fan but still the heat is not near you on a PC its in the case on the floor. I also STRONGLY STRONGLY suggest you all go to home depot and pick up a replacement charcole filters that you put on home air cleaners (the large kind you have to cut) and get some self adhesive velcro and put a small square on the left and right side of the port strip at the top back of the imac (the air intake) and one piece in the center, Then cust a strip 2" by 17" and place the black charcoal filter on the three velcro tabe you stuck to the back, I did this long ago on my harmon kardon citation 16 power amp with extra filter material that was left over and with in ONE week it had cat hair, dust, all sorts of particles. doing this on the imacs air intake will within a week say WOW glad I did that, especially if your near dust that you cant even see, dust LOVES powered electronics and one $9.99 charcoal replacement filter will yield over 50 or more filters, AND if its gets dusty all you have to to is take it off the velcro and smack it outside against a tree..

FUNNY doing this is just like rug beating in the 1700's primitave but it works...your system will stay cooler longer and eliminate COSTLY dust damage or overheating.

Ook,but did you not hear me? i said MULTI QUOTE

[Anuba]

I use an iMac 24" at work 8 hours a day, but it's no more or less tough on the eyes than any other screen. However, a couple of times when the machine has returned from Sleep mode, the screen has flickered for a few minutes (known iMac 24" problem) which is a bit jarring.

I doubt the larger viewing field is a problem (at home I have a 30" Dell monitor which I have to sit rather close to due to strange desk design, and I have no issue with that). The only screen that gets a little tiresome after a few hours is the one on my Dell notebook, it's 1680x1050 on 15.4" so the pixels are unusually small (lucky I didn't go for the 1920x1200 15.4" option...). But the iMac 24" uses Apple's trademark jumbo-pixels so that can't be your problem...

[grantallen]

I herd you but I dont know what multi quote means?? what does it mean

[bluedoggiant]

I herd you but I dont know what multi quote means?? what does it mean

You click the plus button on all the posts you want to quote, then press post reply on the bottom of the page

[queshy]

Actually I find the matte screen on my 24" extremely easy on the eyes and it's a pleasure to stare at it all day!

[Techguy172]

Glossy does make things look nice but matte is easier on the eyes.

[Hello.there]

Yep, my eyes are struggling a bit too - but I spend an insane amount of time sitting at this 24" beauty, so I'm asking for trouble. I work from home and spend all day on it, and then in the evening I'm doing my own stuff, photo/video editing, etc, which leaves my eyes the most tired. There have even been times I've had slightly blurred vision/trouble focussing - not drink related, I promise, just the consequence of a long, long session of video editing.

But I'm guessing it's just a case of being sensible in terms of the brightness settings, taking breaks etc. Wouldn't swap the 24" for anything in the world (apart from Liverpool getting relegated), it's magnificent.

[Theatrics]

My eyes hurt if they are not parallel with top portion of the screen. I've had to rearrange my set up to make it go away. See the booklets that came with the iMac and look for the bit about ergonomics.

[grantallen]

you got BOOKS with your imac!, I thought its against macs religion to include ANY manuals or instructions.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I herd you but I dont know what multi quote means?? what does it meanIt means that you shouldCombine your comments into one post rather than making many consecutive posts to a thread within a short period of time. as per the rules.

Multiquote is this button: http://images.macrumors.com/vb/images/buttons/multiquote_off.gif

That makes it possible to answer more than one post at the time, just click it as you read through threads whenever you see a post you want to reply to and then hit reply once when you're ready.

Not entirely sure why you should use that, rather than just gather your thoughts in one post at the time, but I guess that is what they are meaning. ;)

[gazfocus]

When the new iMac's were announced, I went to our local store to give them a look. After looking at the 24" iMac for about 10 seconds, my head (and eyes) started to strain. I think this is down to the brightness because it seemed alot brighter than the 20" model that was next to it (which didn't actually hurt my eyes or head at all).

I would love to know peoples thoughts on this because I am looking at buying the 24" iMac after a processor bump.

[HBergeron]

I know this is a thread for 24'' users, but I have the same problem with an iMac 20''.

I have better than 20-20 vision, but with the iMac 20'' my eyes hurt, turn red, and later lose focus. The former begins in less than a half hour, the latter after a few hours. If I'm on for any longer, it gets to the point where reading a book or newspaper afterwards is annoyingly difficult. And on the days where I happen to use it throughout the day, my friends have actually commented on the fact that my eyes look "out of focus" or "bloodshot." Throw on a Bob Marley t-shirt and I think the assumption would be obvious.

Now, I know red eyes are not unusual after staring at a computer screen. But I also own an iBook, and can use it for more than 12 hours without a problem. (I now use that laptop whenever possible.)

What is unusual is that my eyes are actually losing focus semi-permanently; that is, this monitor is causing a lasting effect - one that is noticeable long after I finish using the computer. That worries me. Are there others experiencing this problem? I've installed the utility mentioned in an earlier thread (http://www.charcoaldesign.co.uk/shades), but I can feel that my eyes aren't responding any differently.

I sit further than my arm can reach, but still get the feeling as if I were staring at a TV screen too closely. I also have the curtains drawn, but can see my own reflection in the screen.

Is it glare? Is it brightness? Has Apple incorporated a new type of display? Why are people who have never had this problem experiencing it now?

If, in my case, the severity is somehow uniquely strong, then I again would like to mention that I have nothing to suggest a predisposition for it. I've never had this problem before, have excellent eyesight, and do not have the same problem with other Apple monitors. Or any other monitor. It is just this computer.

Sadly, it's time to finish this post - my eyes are starting to hurt.

[kabunaru]

You guys should calibrate your screens. That might help for the eye-strain.
Instead of 1.8 gamma, use 2.2 gamma. I find that it helps. I even use "David's Profile" on my iMac and find everything is easier on the eyes.

[Alloye]

No problems for me and I'm on my iMac 8+ hours per day. I have my brightness set at around 25%.

[D4F]

Just place it a bit further back. this should solve the issues. Calibrate it too.

[ajohnson253]

yes, i had the 24" at first, i exchanged it today for the 2.6 20"...it feels so much better to me and the screen is fine i adjusted the calibrate setting to 2.2, no longer do i have headaches lol

[andyw2004]

I am enjoying my 24" iMac (latest) modle but my eyes keep hurting me after watching a few tv shows on it, i used to have a 20" iMac (latest modle aswell) but did not supper from this problem, even when i switch the brightness to lowest my eyes hurt a bit.

I can play +5 hours on my other computers without my eyes hurting me but 2-3 hours on the 24" iMac and my eyes start to hurt, is this normal?

My eyes don't hurt after an extended session at my iMac but then they have never hurt at any monitor so I was not expecting them to hurt. I think that monitor placement is probably your problem (although I'm not an optician and you should consult one if you're having problems). Try moving the monitor back a bit and changing font sizes if you can't see them properly.

[ajohnson253]

weird thing happened....my 20" wouldnt turn on after this afternoon, took it to best buy they didnt have anymore 20" iMacs, got a brand new 24" 2.8 200 off. 1,599.00. i had to take the deal. They only cut the price like that because I use to work there and i have been in there 3 times already exchanging macs because of issues. This is a bright screen i keep it on the lowest setting, mess with the calibration a little bit. and all is well :D

-keep it in the :apple: family

[nout72]

At first I had aching eyes as-well, even with DarkAdapted installed.
But it seems my eyes have adjusted, I can turn the brightness all the way up without troubling my eyes.
(DarkAdapted is now used for one reason only: making the whites look better in less than ideal viewing angles)

Another possibility could be the LCD screen itself has settled down a bit, the bright straining glow somehow has disappeared.

[ajohnson253]

just got my 24" back the 20" wasnt doin it. I just adjust the settings and mess with the calibrate and...its good. definatley the adobe (1998) setting and then 2.2