headache, eye-ache & nausea from new 11" mba display

[leahp81]

i recently got a new 11" mba... for the most part, i like the colors / saturation the way it is right now, except the whites just seem TOO white and it's blinding enough that i'm getting nauseous from looking at it for too long. i didn't have this problem with my late 2008 macbook. and simply turning down the brightness doesn't solve the problem.

i've been searching through this forum for advice on how to get the display calibration just right, and tried some of the other .icc files i found here. none of them seem to be just right. any advice? should i take it to the genius bar? i feel like they won't help much =/

 

[ann713]

Return it for a bigger screen, say the 13" MacBook Air. Perhaps it's the high resolution on such a small screen. Excluding the nauseation, I also had a headache, eye-ache, and not to mention neck strain when I used the 11". I think there's little to nothing a Genius can do for you in this situation.

 

[tom vilsack]

i found wearing reading glasses really helped with eyestrain and headaches i used to get...

 

[alecgold]

i recently got a new 11" mba... for the most part, i like the colors / saturation the way it is right now, except the whites just seem TOO white and it's blinding enough that i'm getting nauseous from looking at it for too long. i didn't have this problem with my late 2008 macbook. and simply turning down the brightness doesn't solve the problem.

i've been searching through this forum for advice on how to get the display calibration just right, and tried some of the other .icc files i found here. none of them seem to be just right. any advice? should i take it to the genius bar? i feel like they won't help much =/

If it is the white you're getting nauseated from, you could try to run a screen calibration in systemprefs->screen->color->calibrate or what ever it is called in English.
But if you're a bit older (and that could be as young as 35-40) you could need reading glasses....

 

[Napolke]

i found wearing reading glasses really helped with eyestrain and headaches i used to get...

Reading glasses is no help for FAULTY display.

 

[ZipZap]

Had the same issue with a PSP....returned it.

 

[icanboogie]

Reading glasses is no help for FAULTY display.

..but they are for faulty eyes....:roll eyes:


seriously, I do not think this is any fault of the display. the high pixel density can cause the eye strain and other related issues, even nausea. get closer to it, get glasses or get a different computer.

I experienced similar stuff with a 17 hi-res, but I got used to it. I bought an external 26" display with a low pixel density of 1920x1200 (instead of 26XX or whatever the new 27 iMacs and Displays have) exactly for that reason, so I don't have to sit too close to have a comfortable view.

 

[KnightWRX]

Return it for a bigger screen, say the 13" MacBook Air. Perhaps it's the high resolution on such a small screen.

The 13" MacBook Air has about the same resolution as the 11" (calculated in PPI of course, 128 vs 135). So if it is the pixel density that is the problem, the 13" MBA won't help.

 

[LRJordan]

Why not get an anti-glare screen protector? http://www.gearzap.com/sgp-steinheil-anti-glare-macbook-air-11-screen-protector.html I've heard people saying good things about them when it comes to eye-strain, not heard nausia mentioned before but assume the glare-reducing effect would stop that.

 

[Abstract]

Like others have said, the nausea is likely caused by your eyesight not adjusting to the high PPI of the screen.


I don't believe a white background alone can make you feel nauseated? It's far more likely to be caused by discomfort and eye-strain.

 

[entatlrg]

i recently got a new 11" mba... for the most part, i like the colors / saturation the way it is right now, except the whites just seem TOO white and it's blinding enough that i'm getting nauseous from looking at it for too long. i didn't have this problem with my late 2008 macbook. and simply turning down the brightness doesn't solve the problem.

i've been searching through this forum for advice on how to get the display calibration just right, and tried some of the other .icc files i found here. none of them seem to be just right. any advice? should i take it to the genius bar? i feel like they won't help much =/

Calibrate your screen - problem solved.

The screen is too white / 'contrasty' for you that's all. You can fix no problem.

 

[chrono1081]

i recently got a new 11" mba... for the most part, i like the colors / saturation the way it is right now, except the whites just seem TOO white and it's blinding enough that i'm getting nauseous from looking at it for too long. i didn't have this problem with my late 2008 macbook. and simply turning down the brightness doesn't solve the problem.

i've been searching through this forum for advice on how to get the display calibration just right, and tried some of the other .icc files i found here. none of them seem to be just right. any advice? should i take it to the genius bar? i feel like they won't help much =/

Many people (myself included) got sick when looking at LED screens at first, it does go away once you get used to it. One thing I found helpful was just to reduce the screen brightness.

 

[meistervu]

I know how you feel

I had the same problem on the bus and brought mine back and talked to a genius. She blamed it on font size and suggested I tried one with less reflective background and with larger fonts, until she got quite upset with me for being called a genius. She insisted that she's a librarian

But seriously, op, I suspect that the problem you are having similar to reading on a bus or a moving vehicle. For me I can't read fine prints under that environment, but larger prints are better, and I do better with practice. I don't think mine has to do with the white background, but I do prefer book printed on warmer paper. What make the most difference for me is the font size.

So, you may get used to it. If you don't, it's probably not worth getting a MBA. I can't imagine putting up with headache and nausea every time I use a computer. It's just a tool. If it doesn't work, try another tool.