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iPhone XR Eye Strain on iPhoneXR?
- Thread starter sddabrow
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Yes that is a perfect description for what I have experienced, kind of like the first day or so of switching from glasses to contacts or wearing and old prescription then switching back.. I gave it a good few days but it just didn't go away and it made me feel like crap all day even after I put the phone down. Ill be returning it, very bummed I would have got it for free with a promo and its such a cool phone otherwise. Going back to my tiny iPhone 6s is hard lol
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The eye strain was much less intense after turning the IR scanning stuff off, and didn't hurt as much right away in the form of what felt like a sinus headache. Unfortunately even after turning this off and covering the notch, the eye strain never completely went away.
Yup, same here. It’s not so much eye strain as it is my eyes feeling slightly out of focus. It’s SO weird, I’ve never had any issues with any LCD screen, and I can’t figure out the cause.
That’s interesting, I wonder how much of the strain is caused by Face ID vs the XR screen. What the heck did Apple do to these recent screens?
For me there is no eye strain or headaches on the XR with the Face ID running full blast. I'm sensitive to the PWM only, and I'm dreading 2020. OLED screens only. If they could just raise the flickering rate to above 1000 - then I'm thinking it wouldn't be so much of an issue!
Hey Everyone, hope all is well. I posted this to the XS forum I think, but was told about this link. I wanted to share my story with you to validate what happened and how really bad I was affected by whatever is causing the iPhone XR headache, eyestrain, nausea, migraines... Good luck, and I can't encourage you enough to get an iPhone 8. Both my wife and I are fine on that device...
Post 1: Hello, I bought the iPhone XR for my wife and I. She had to wait for a new SIM card because she was transferring from another provider, so I used mine for a full week. I had the WORST migraine headache I ever had. I only had 3 or 4 my entire life, but my entire head was tight, the back of my head was in very bad pain, like a knot was there, and I could not turn around when driving. I thought it was the angle I slept on or something. Then, my wife got hers and she said she had a headache. I put 2 and 2 together and Googled 'iPhone XR headache' and found the answer, "Pulse Width Modulation, or PWM." This is what was written about above. They use a frequency to dim the phone, not the pixel brightness. I was VERY lucky, that I returned both iPhones within 2 weeks. The Verizon store swapped them out for iPhone 8 models and we are okay now. This is a VERY serious thing if you are dealing with it. I read that someone had to get glasses after 3 months of use. I work on a computer all day and I could not read text anymore and had to lay down. When I laid down, I would, you guessed it, look at my iPhone, dimmed with PWM... If you are experiencing headaches, eyestrains or nausea and have an iPhone X, get an iPhone version 8 or older. I would call your provider with some of this information and demand an iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 uses the older screen technology. When I called Verizon, the rep told me that she heard this complaint many times. Also, my wife is pregnant and her entire back tightened up the three days she used the phone... Might be a coincidence, but if it is not a coincidence and the back pain was caused by the phone, it is really not right that Apple did not recall it OR at least, make people aware of it and let them know that if they have eye, headache, nausea, migraines, etc., then to examine their phone and see if that is the reason behind it, then offer a swap to another phone. Perhaps some sort of push notification to all iPhone X users that references the issue. This is not some imagined thing, I experienced it first hand and, after mentioning it to a few people, they mentioned their eye sight getting worse. My brother said his eyesight is worse now after the iPhone XR. I read this thread and had to post here because I was so adversely affected by the iPhone XR's PWM dimming and wanted to validate that it is, in fact, real and to let others know that the iPhone 8 is fine. Good luck with this and hope you can get into a phone that does not give you a headache.
Post 2:
I had the iPhone XR and this is what happened. If it wasn't PWM, the iPhone XR has serious display issues. This happened for two brand new phones, out of the box. I used iPhones for 10 years and never had this issue. If you feel a headache, just get rid of the phone. I did and I feel 100% again. Another thing about the XR was that neither my wife nor I could get a focal point. We had to hold it very far from our faces to be able to read it, where the iPhone 8 is just like the 6s from which we migrated. I understand using new technology and that things change, but such a serious side effect of use should be told to the user, especially before they buy expensive phones. Also, the iPhone 8 models were almost twice the price of the XR models. I would have paid anything, however, to have gotten away from the migraine nightmare I experienced and am just glad it is over. Good luck and again, if you are getting headaches from an iPhone X, don't try to fix it, just get out of that phone and into one not utilizing whatever 'tech' is causing the headaches and eyestrain.
Post 1: Hello, I bought the iPhone XR for my wife and I. She had to wait for a new SIM card because she was transferring from another provider, so I used mine for a full week. I had the WORST migraine headache I ever had. I only had 3 or 4 my entire life, but my entire head was tight, the back of my head was in very bad pain, like a knot was there, and I could not turn around when driving. I thought it was the angle I slept on or something. Then, my wife got hers and she said she had a headache. I put 2 and 2 together and Googled 'iPhone XR headache' and found the answer, "Pulse Width Modulation, or PWM." This is what was written about above. They use a frequency to dim the phone, not the pixel brightness. I was VERY lucky, that I returned both iPhones within 2 weeks. The Verizon store swapped them out for iPhone 8 models and we are okay now. This is a VERY serious thing if you are dealing with it. I read that someone had to get glasses after 3 months of use. I work on a computer all day and I could not read text anymore and had to lay down. When I laid down, I would, you guessed it, look at my iPhone, dimmed with PWM... If you are experiencing headaches, eyestrains or nausea and have an iPhone X, get an iPhone version 8 or older. I would call your provider with some of this information and demand an iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 uses the older screen technology. When I called Verizon, the rep told me that she heard this complaint many times. Also, my wife is pregnant and her entire back tightened up the three days she used the phone... Might be a coincidence, but if it is not a coincidence and the back pain was caused by the phone, it is really not right that Apple did not recall it OR at least, make people aware of it and let them know that if they have eye, headache, nausea, migraines, etc., then to examine their phone and see if that is the reason behind it, then offer a swap to another phone. Perhaps some sort of push notification to all iPhone X users that references the issue. This is not some imagined thing, I experienced it first hand and, after mentioning it to a few people, they mentioned their eye sight getting worse. My brother said his eyesight is worse now after the iPhone XR. I read this thread and had to post here because I was so adversely affected by the iPhone XR's PWM dimming and wanted to validate that it is, in fact, real and to let others know that the iPhone 8 is fine. Good luck with this and hope you can get into a phone that does not give you a headache.
Post 2:
I had the iPhone XR and this is what happened. If it wasn't PWM, the iPhone XR has serious display issues. This happened for two brand new phones, out of the box. I used iPhones for 10 years and never had this issue. If you feel a headache, just get rid of the phone. I did and I feel 100% again. Another thing about the XR was that neither my wife nor I could get a focal point. We had to hold it very far from our faces to be able to read it, where the iPhone 8 is just like the 6s from which we migrated. I understand using new technology and that things change, but such a serious side effect of use should be told to the user, especially before they buy expensive phones. Also, the iPhone 8 models were almost twice the price of the XR models. I would have paid anything, however, to have gotten away from the migraine nightmare I experienced and am just glad it is over. Good luck and again, if you are getting headaches from an iPhone X, don't try to fix it, just get out of that phone and into one not utilizing whatever 'tech' is causing the headaches and eyestrain.
Reading a great many of these posts I would say the 'power of suggestion' is at play here. I have a OP6T with a cracking Amoled screen and the iPhone XR with a cracking LCD display.
Vision wise there is absolutely no difference. Neither phone gives me eye strain, headaches or anything else. I also felt less strain on my wallet buying the XR.
This thread really is a non story for people who are looking for things that simply aren't there. Enjoy your phone, forget about the imaginary headaches and eye strain and simply enjoy your purchase.
This has to be one of the daftest threads on M.R. ever.
Vision wise there is absolutely no difference. Neither phone gives me eye strain, headaches or anything else. I also felt less strain on my wallet buying the XR.
This thread really is a non story for people who are looking for things that simply aren't there. Enjoy your phone, forget about the imaginary headaches and eye strain and simply enjoy your purchase.
This has to be one of the daftest threads on M.R. ever.
There is no PWM on the iPhone XR, but it’s still possible that this is caused by FaceID for some people.
I don’t have eyes strain with the XR, iPhone 8, SE or IPP.
MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro (Even the base now) iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max - All now unusable for me.
It really stinks as a long time user and one that prefers OSX and the iOS ecosystem.
MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro (Even the base now) iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max - All now unusable for me.
It really stinks as a long time user and one that prefers OSX and the iOS ecosystem.
This attitude is, very bad to say they least. Just because you don’t experience eye strain and such does not mean others won’t. And guess what? This is also a simple logic. Hope you can understand.
Also, are you 100% sure how different LCD works? Just because Apple uses LCD does not mean the eye strain other members mentioned here does not happen. I don’t have eye strain issues when using iPhone XS Max but back in iPhone 6s Plus days I could always notice huge lag while playing games when night shift was engaging or screen brightness was changing. Simple turning up/down backlight should not cause any slowdown at all, which means maybe back in the day Apple was not turning up/down backlight to control device brightness. I don’t know how Apple LCD works, but I feel you don’t know much about that either.
In that case, since LCD displays don't have PWM, it points to FaecID component, directly staring into IR for face scanning. I would like to see in-display TouchID, it's secure enough for authentication and possibly cheaper as well.
Rather worrying that my post was removed for speaking to truth. This phenomenon does not exist and in the fullness of time I will be proved correct, though I'm not holding my breath for an apology. My wife has recently retired from a career in ophthalmology. Need I say more?
We've talked about Face ID before, but we unfortunately weren't able to definitively rule it out or not. Also, there could be other screen factors that we just don't know about. Until we can confirm that the XR/iPad Pro screen is the exact same as earlier models, we can't rule it out either.
That's interesting, are your symptoms consistent between the phones and laptops? People usually have eye strain with the X/XS/Max due to PWM flickering, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the Macbooks (Since their flicker rate is usually 100,000Hz+ vs the phones at 240Hz)
Your posts were probably removed because you were extremely rude and weren't contributing to the discussion. It's pretty annoying to have someone enter our thread and say "get over your imaginary headaches, this phenomenon doesn't exist" when you have absolutely zero evidence that the new screens are the same as the old ones.
The XR is by far Apple's best and most successful smartphone for a good number of years. Given their sales success if there was an issue with the screen I think global media may have picked this up by now. Instead we have an infinitesimal amount of people on this forum complaining they have a headache.
I get headaches, but they have nothing to do with my using a XR, more a result of modern day living.
Since you seem to have entered this thread to prove us all wrong... Can you please provide proof that PWM does not cause headaches?
Agreed 100%. There's nothing wrong with the XR screen, and I don't even think Apple *should* change it since it's fine for the vast majority of the users.
That being said, us in the minority are still having issues for some reason (be it the screen or Face ID) and we have no idea why. This thread isn't meant to trash talk Apple and imply that there's this massive issue with their screens, it's for us to share symptoms and figure out *why* we're having them.
Let me give you a scenario:
You buy an XR with the new Liquid Retina display and immediately notice some kind of eye strain. You don't have this issue with any other device (iPhone 8, iMac, TV, iPad, etc) and can't find any obvious issues with the XR screen. You go see an eye doctor, and get totally cleared with no issues. You try changing every single display setting with no relief.
Then, you try the new iPad Pro which has the same Liquid Retina display and have the exact same symptoms.
What would you conclude at this point? Isn't it a reasonable assumption that the new display tech (Or Face ID) is the cause?
The human brain is very clever at fooling us and as a result jump to wrong conclusions. There is the placebo effect, mass hysteria, depression etc. The list is almost endless.
I do agree that brain is clever to trick us into believing something that is not the case “is the case”, but by assuming rare symptoms “placebo effect”, “brain tricks us” is nothing but ignoring the fact (though I have no confirmation of this from myself).
I don't think a single discussion thread on macrumors is going to lead to mass hysteria, we're just trying to figure out why some people are affected differently.
Also, considering that the iPhone X line has a similar issue with PWM affecting certain people, I'd say it's completely plausible that the XR could have a similar thing going on.
Again, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the XR. It's our problem and I don't see an issue with at least discussing the potential causes.
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Absolutely. You’re eyes are bombarded by the IR Flood Illuminator every second your looking at your phone. Face ID is a failed technology. I’m looking forward to Ultrasonic Touch ID Under Glass in 2020. If it doesn’t happen on the Low End 2020 Model then I’ll simply buy another 8+ next year. No Face ID for my eyes.
Absolutely. You’re eyes are bombarded by the IR Flood Illuminator every second your looking at your phone. Face ID is a failed technology. I’m looking forward to Ultrasonic Touch ID Under Glass in 2020. If it doesn’t happen on the Low End 2020 Model then I’ll simply buy another 8+ next year. No Face ID for my eyes.
Optical touch ID under glass as in the OP6T works very well and combined with face ID through that tiny tear drop notch I can certainly recommend it. However, I love the face ID in the XR so looking forward to using so called 'failed technology' for many years to come.