17 inch umbp screen eye strain/headache

[tim100]

I recently upgrade my 15 inch mbp for a new 17 inch. I initial was interested in getting another 15 due to the new battery. I picked up a 17 with the idea to make it a desktop replacement (2 more inches of screen space) I have noticed headaches since my upgrade, I found the following threads re the 17 inch screen. Anyone else get headaches or eye strain from the high res on the 17? I have increased text size, which does not seem to help. I understand the 17 may have nothing to due with my headache. Any comments on the high res display vs the 15 inch display?

Also, I do have bad eye sight and wear contacts.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/744379/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/742907/

 

[m85476585]

Increasing the text size should help. Is it at least as big as on your old one? You might need to measure with a ruler. The 17 is about 133 dpi instead of about 110 dpi, so you need to set all your fonts about 21% bigger, if I did the math right.

It could just be that the screen in the 17 is doing something different, like using a different backlight or a different inversion pattern. I believe the 17 still has a CCFL backlight instead of the LED backlight in the 15 and the 13. It probably flickers imperceptibly, which could cause eye strain even if you can't see it.

See if you get used to it. When I got my 15 (coming from a CRT and an old Dell laptop), I had eye strain and I had to increase all the font sizes, even though I have good eyesight. After a few weeks, it was no longer a problem and I put all the fonts back to normal. I haven't had any problems since then.

 

[spinnerlys]

The 17-inch model has also LED backlighting, since last year.

from http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs-17inch.html
17-inch (diagonal) high-resolution LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors

Also here's a review: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10041-10146

 

[tim100]

great article it looks like all 3 displays are wonderful. how about resolution? looking at the specs the 13 looks like awfully low res.

the 17's text looks small to me. I am not sure about the eye stain issue. however when i use my imac no problems.

 

[JohanDC]

I recently upgrade my 15 inch mbp for a new 17 inch. I initial was interested in getting another 15 due to the new battery. I picked up a 17 with the idea to make it a desktop replacement (2 more inches of screen space) I have noticed headaches since my upgrade, I found the following threads re the 17 inch screen. Anyone else get headaches or eye strain from the high res on the 17? I have increased text size, which does not seem to help. I understand the 17 may have nothing to due with my headache. Any comments on the high res display vs the 15 inch display?

Also, I do have bad eye sight and wear contacts.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/744379/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/742907/

Just try lowering the resolution and see whether that helps, if so then I would recommend checking your sight once more...

I also have bad eyes and because of this I also get headaches when working on a high res screen for long periods of time, because of this I bought myself a 22" screen with a native res of 1680x1050 but I would never work on a 17" at 1920x1200 cos it will stress my eyes too much and give me bad headaches!

 

[QuadCoreDad]

It has been a common problem. I do not experience it on my 17" Unibody but I opted for an anti-glare ( matte) screen.. it is better.

 

[tim100]

Just try lowering the resolution and see whether that helps, if so then I would recommend checking your sight once more...

I also have bad eyes and because of this I also get headaches when working on a high res screen for long periods of time, because of this I bought myself a 22" screen with a native res of 1680x1050 but I would never work on a 17" at 1920x1200 cos it will stress my eyes too much and give me bad headaches!

Is the issue high res on that small of a screen? I don't get headaches from my hdtv or lager desktop at home or work.

 

[Z06jerry]

Is the issue high res on that small of a screen? I don't get headaches from my hdtv or lager desktop at home or work.

That's probably it. As pointed out above, the 17's higher 133 dpi (dots per inch) pitch makes the text smaller than it would be on the 15's 110 dpi or the 13's 113 dpi.

1920 x 1200 is a nice resolution for a 24" screen, but for a 17" screen it makes things pretty small and hard to read. That's why I prefer the 13' & 15" MBP models.

 

[fireman13]

That's probably it. As pointed out above, the 17's higher 133 dpi (dots per inch) pitch makes the text smaller than it would be on the 15's 110 dpi or the 13's 113 dpi.

1920 x 1200 is a nice resolution for a 24" screen, but for a 17" screen it makes things pretty small and hard to read. That's why I prefer the 13' & 15" MBP models.

I agree, those resolutions should stay on bigger screens(24in). I haven't had much personal experience with the 17 inch MBP's, except from what little I played with it in the Apple store. It did seem very hard to read and I could feel myself getting a little eye strain. I couldn't imagine actually having to work with one. I'm sure its suitable for some people while for others it's literally a headache.

anyway, I hope you get used to it soon or get it resolved to where you can use it without headaches. Good luck.

 

[vanc]

Maybe you need some get-use-to time. I got eye strain and slight headache in the first several days with my MBP 15. I found the light sensor was pretty annoying and turned it off. After a couple of days, I did not have any eye strain again.

 

[tim100]

Maybe you need some get-use-to time. I got eye strain and slight headache in the first several days with my MBP 15. I found the light sensor was pretty annoying and turned it off. After a couple of days, I did not have any eye strain again.

never had a problem with my 15 mbp

 

[fireman13]

I really do think that it's the high res screen.
I have corrected vision as well and noticed a couple of weeks ago, that my contacts weren't very sharp. I felt like my vision was getting worse and yet my prescription has been stable for years. So I go to the Optometrist and she tells me that my prescription changed and it was do the strain from my computer. I got them corrected, and now I have no headaches and no problems. So, it may be that you might go see you Optometrist and get your eyes checked again to see if they have gotten worse all of a sudden.

 

[Z06jerry]

I really do think that it's the high res screen.

I agree, to put it in perspective, 1920x1200 on my 24" screen equates to 96.4 dpi whereas the 17" MBP at the same resolution has 133 dpi. That means the text size will 27% smaller on the MBP's screen vs my 24" screen! Here's a handy tool for determining the dpi & pitch for resolutions & screen size ...

http://members.ping.de/~sven/dpi.html

 

[omegasyn]

I am putting up my mbp 17 2.8 anti-glare on ebay just due to the eye-strain. Coming from a 15 resolution and then 17 1920x1200 is just a little too much.

After about 15 minutes of use, I noticed my eyes being 2x more sore and consistent tearing which has never occurred. If I wanted more workspace, I'll just connect my 30' NEC as that resolution is A LOT more tolerable.

 

[Canuckistan]

A related thread

Here's a thread I started a couple of weeks ago:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/742907/

 

[fireman13]

I agree, to put it in perspective, 1920x1200 on my 24" screen equates to 96.4 dpi whereas the 17" MBP at the same resolution has 133 dpi. That means the text size will 27% smaller on the MBP's screen vs my 24" screen! Here's a handy tool for determining the dpi & pitch for resolutions & screen size ...

http://members.ping.de/~sven/dpi.html

Well there ya go. The proof is in the pudding.

 

[tim100]

my concern is that the 17 inch is too much res for the screen size making everything small. other than that it is a great machine.

 

[theJamie]

It has been a common problem. I do not experience it on my 17" Unibody but I opted for an anti-glare ( matte) screen.. it is better.

The anti-glare screen is worth every penny considering glare is inevitable! That could be a reason for the eyestrain.

 

[Scottsdale]

Weird thing happened to me. When I moved from 15" MBP Merom 2.33 to 13" UMB, with LED backlighting, I started getting headaches. I have great eyesight. I then switched to a MacBook Air that has LED backlighting but no glass, and my headaches went away. My MBA was stolen, and I went back to UMB, and my headaches came back. The MBA was updated, and I bought a new one, again headaches were gone. I used a 17" MBP (brand new one) for two days, and I had headaches again. I don't think it has anything to do with the LED backlighting, at least for me. It seems to be the combo of glass and LED backlighting or something else that is completely different in the glass displays of MBPs which are not found in the MBA.

Just wanted to share.

 

[tim100]

The anti-glare screen is worth every penny considering glare is inevitable! That could be a reason for the eyestrain.

I had a 15inch with no problems. I am going to give the 17 a few more days. I am happy with the machine. The only negatives are the small text size and the fact it is not as portable as the 13 and 15. I picked the 17 because I wanted a desktop replacement and did not want to hook up to a monitor. The speaker are awesome in the 17 compare to the 15.

 

[m85476585]

Do you find yourself sitting closer to it to compensate for the small text/image sizes? If your eyes can't focus as well a little closer than usual, that could cause some eye strain.

 

[appleguy123]

I love my 17" macbook pro and its small text... but im a young guy wit h20-10 eyesight

Do you find yourself sitting closer to it to compensate for the small sizes?

that can be taken wrongly

 

[tim100]

Do you find yourself sitting closer to it to compensate for the small text/image sizes? If your eyes can't focus as well a little closer than usual, that could cause some eye strain.

I think I am sitting closer now that you have mentioned it.

 

[tim100]

I am putting up my mbp 17 2.8 anti-glare on ebay just due to the eye-strain. Coming from a 15 resolution and then 17 1920x1200 is just a little too much.

After about 15 minutes of use, I noticed my eyes being 2x more sore and consistent tearing which has never occurred. If I wanted more workspace, I'll just connect my 30' NEC as that resolution is A LOT more tolerable.

did you sell your 17? if yes what did you replace it with?

 

[tim100]

changed the font in safari preferences makes a huge difference