large touch screen monitors and eye strain made in china

2023-01-03 12:32:11

Product OverviewThe ViewSonic® TD2230 is a 22” (21.5” viewable) Full HD multi-touch display. With a SuperClear® IPS panel and 10-point projected capacitive touch technology, this display delivers stunning front-of-screen performance with a responsive and accurate touch experience. Featuring a 7H hardness touch screen, edge-to-edge frameless design, and up to 10 simultaneous touch points, this durable display allows users to tap, swipe, pinch, and zoom with ease – perfect for retail, education, or enterprise. An advanced ergonomic bookstand design provides a full range of motion for the desktop, and a VESA-compatible mount allows for flexible mounting options on a monitor stand or wall. Future-proof connectivity options include HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB, while VGA is also available for legacy systems. Cross compatibility with a wide range of operating systems include Windows 10, and certain Android and Linux versions. ViewSonic’s exclusive ViewMode™ feature provides intuitive presets for optimized screen performance in different applications. In addition, Flicker-Free technology and a Blue Light Filter help to minimize eye strain from extended viewing periods. Industry-leading warranty protection and legendary ViewSonic product quality makes this high performance multi-touch display a great long-term investment for all touch applications.

Enjoy accurate and vivid colors with consistent levels of brightness no matter the vantage point. With SuperClear IPS panel technology, this monitor delivers the same image quality whether you are looking at the screen from above, below, the front, or the side.

Touch screens with projected capacitive touch can recognize up to 10 points of simultaneous contact, allowing for a highly accurate and ultra-responsive touch experience. With smooth and responsive touch capabilities, this touch display is ideal for home entertainment, office work, education, and commercial use.

This monitor features a frameless edge-to-edge screen that delivers an immersive viewing experience. With its sleek, eye-catching design, this monitor looks as good as it performs

This touch display is designed with a durable, protective glass faceplate. This provides increased scratch protection to ensure durability, as well as a consistent, high-quality touch experience in high-traffic areas such as educational settings, or other public environments where the touch display can be used as a kiosk.

A stable, integrated bookstand design makes it easy to adjust the angle of this display for a better user experience. The display can tilted or laid completely flat on a tabletop for a more comfortable work environment.

Have peace of mind in the quality and reliability of your ViewSonic monitor—backed by one of the industry’s best pixel performance policies and a 3-year limited warranty.

large touch screen monitors and eye strain made in china

OVERVIEW Laid flat or angled for customized comfort, this display delivers touchscreen versatility to the max. Offering fantastic flexibility for retail, education, or business settings, the ViewSonic® TD2430 is a 24” (23.6” viewable) Full HD display with 10-point multi-touch functionality. Delivering adjustable positioning, wide-angle viewing, and a durable design, the TD2430 has everything to accommodate your unique needs. Adding even more convenience, cross-compatibility with a wide range of operating systems includes Windows 10/11, and certain Android and Linux versions.* With a sleek edge-to-edge screen and frameless bezel, this intuitive touchscreen performs like your favorite tablet or smartphone to deliver a highly accurate, ultra-responsive touch experience ideal for interactivity in public environments, kiosk and wayfinding applications, classroom settings, and more. *Supports Windows 7/8/10/11, Linux 2.6.38 or later, and Android 4.0 or later.

large touch screen monitors and eye strain made in china

When looking at medical computers and equipment, the monitor is usually an afterthought. The most common misconception is that all monitors are the same, just different sizes. However, this is untrue. There are various features and options differentiating medical grade monitors. No matter how good the computer is, ultimately the monitor is what healthcare workers will be interacting with all day.

Durable construction to withstand healthcare disinfectants, crisp image, and medical certification shouldn"t be overlooked. Medical grade monitors are designed to be used for many purposes from radiology reviews to surgical applications. That"s why their accuracy, reliability and lifespan are much longer than consumer monitors.

large touch screen monitors and eye strain made in china

Working with a laptop computer can be a challenge—especially if you need to multitask with multiple windows open once. But when you’re on-the-go, it isn’t practical to lug around a full-size monitor. This is where portable monitors come in: This is where portable monitors come in: These lightweight, external second screens go where your laptop goes. The best portable monitors can increase your available screen real estate, which can improve your productivity without requiring the same weight or bulk as a dedicated monitor.

“Portable monitors are mainly aimed at business travelers looking for enhanced productivity while on the road,” notes Paul Gagnon, vice president and industry advisor on consumer technology at research firm The NPD Group. “But they can also have utility for hybrid workers or students not looking to invest in a dedicated home office setup for space or financial reasons.”

Portable monitors typically come in sizes that pair well with laptop computers—14 to 17 inches—and typically offer a baseline resolution of 1080 pixels. The larger you go in screen size or the more screens you add, the heavier your remote work setup will be. Some monitors stand apart with 2K or 4K resolution—like our best overall pick, the SideTrack Solo 4K 15.6-Inch—while others have a touchscreen display, a fast refresh rate, built-in speakers or some combination of all four.

No matter which flavor of portable monitor you choose, these handy devices can help you do more in less space—wherever you may be. To guide you in your search, we’ve done the testing and research to narrow down the best portable monitors available right now.

The SideTrak Solo is a free-standing portable monitor, unlike most other models from this company that attach to your computer screen. The Solo is among the priciest models we’ve seen, but it also packs all the features you could want in a monitor—with 4K resolution, a touchscreen and built-in speakers. It connects to your computer using a single cable and also has a built in blue light filter to help reduce eyestrain.

With high dynamic range (HDR), dynamic contrast ratio (DCR) and AMD FreeSync modes, you can switch seamlessly from business to watching movies or gaming—and see everything with rich, vivid colors and detailed clarity. You can even connect this monitor to a console games, like Sony PlayStation or Microsoft Xbox, in addition to any computer, smartphone or tablet. All of this comes in a package that weighs 2.9 pounds—which is about the same as some lightweight laptops.

For less than $200, you can easily connect this Lepow C2S portable monitor to your laptop computer and benefit from an additional 15.4-inch screen. You get 1080p resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate in a 1.7-pound package. The display uses an integrated and adjustable-angle kickstand so you can position it horizontally or vertically. The monitor has multiple inputs, with USB Type-C, Mini-HDMI and Mini-DisplayPort, plus a second USB Type-C port for power.

It has a 178-degree viewing angle, wide enough so you can sit off center from the monitor and still clearly see the screen. The monitor has three modes: extend, duplicate and second screen. The dual built-in speakers produce stereo sound, and it has a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headphones.

The Newsoul MDS-15608 monitor comes in at a budget price, one of the lowest we’ve seen for a model with multiple inputs. It displays content at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, with a refresh rate of 60Hz and a 16:9 aspect ratio. This highly affordable monitor comes with a wall mount and a foldable screen cover which doubles as a stand for either horizontal or vertical use. The screen has a 178-degree viewing angle, making it useful for sharing what’s displayed on your screen with others—like a PowerPoint presentation.

The monitor connects to the laptop using a USB Type-C port for both power and imaging. It also has a second USB Type-C port and an OTG Micro-USB port for connecting additional peripherals. Its dual stereo speakers deliver 360-degree spatial audio, unusual for such a compact unit.

The Lenovo ThinkVision 14-inch portable monitor comes in at 1.3 pounds, so you can easily take it just about anywhere your remote work life takes you without adding a ton of extra weight to your bag. This model has 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution, with a 60Hz refresh rate and a 6ms response time.

Its 16:9 aspect ratio LED screen has an anti-glare coating to help with eyestrain. You also get a 178-degree viewing angle. The monitor’s brightness can reach a reasonably bright 300 nits, which makes it easier to use in ambient light. Built into the base are two USB 3.1 Type-C ports for connecting to your laptop and power. And it comes with a protective sleeve, so you can comfortably toss the monitor into your bag when on-the-go.

All portable monitors are, by definition, easy to tote around. But this Dell 14 Portable Monitor C1422H takes portability to the next level. At a mere 1.3 pounds, it won’t add much weight to your travel bag. And at 14-inches, it pairs well with most 13- to 15.6-inch laptops, without adding the extra heft and bulk of a larger 15.6-inch portable monitor.

This screen also has a maximum brightness of 300 nits, brighter than some laptops and other portable monitors. To help prevent eyestrain, it has blue-light reduction built in. Without speakers or lots of ports, though, this monitor is all business—making it good for work, but not play. It has just two USB Type-C ports, one on each side of the monitor’s adjustable base.

The Asus ZenScreen MB16AMT 15.6-inch display sets itself apart by having a built-in rechargeable battery inside its slim, two-pound chassis. This monitor offers 1,920 x 1,080 resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate and a 16:9 aspect ratio. It also has two 1W internal speakers for stereo sound. The 7800mAh battery lasts for up to four hours per charge.

The monitor adapts automatically to horizontal or vertical orientation. Its touchscreen works with Windows, Android and Chrome OS. The certified flicker-free backlit screen also has blue light filtering. Together, these features work to mitigate eye fatigue. The included Smart Case protects the screen during transport. It folds out to create a multi-position tabletop stand.

The ViewSonic TD1655 is a 15.6-inch touchscreen portable monitor at one of the best prices of any similar model from major manufacturers. This pick is also one of the few touchscreen monitors to work with both Macs and PCs—thanks to ViewSonic’s vTouch driver. This driver enables full touch and gesture control on the display when paired with macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Monterey or Ventura running on Intel, M1 or M2 chips. The touchscreen works without the driver on Windows 10 or newer computers with USB Type-C connectivity.

The TD1655 has a 16:9 aspect ratio and comes with a screen cover and a built-in stand to use in either horizontal or vertical orientation. It also comes with a passive stylus for use on the in-cell capacitive LED touchscreen. The screen is flicker-free—with a blue light filter to reduce eyestrain. And it packs two 0.8-watt speakers, plus an impressive 250 nits of brightness.

Australian start-up Espresso Displays’ eponymous V2 model comes in 13- and 15.6-inch versions with a touchscreen, along with a 13-inch version without touch. Espresso’s prices are a bit more than some competitors, but all models share the same stylish design aesthetic, plus a bevy of features other portable monitors don’t have. Take the 15.6-inch touchscreen portable monitor, for example. It has a brushed aluminum and glass chassis and a super-slim (0.2-inch) design, with a 16:10 aspect ratio display and two USB Type-C ports. The maximum screen brightness is 300 nits.

This model works with a pressure-sensitive stylus, though the tool doesn’t come with monitor and costs an extra $79. However, the stylus supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and closely mimics the feel of pen and pencil—making this a great choice for drawing or writing on screen. Other optional accessories include a choice of stands, the coolest one being the espressoStand, a $69 foldable magnetic stand for mounting the monitor for vertical or horizontal viewing. Last but not least, this pick is versatile. The Espresso comes with its own software, called Duet, allowing you to use the touchscreen on both Mac and PC laptops.

While this 12.5-inch monitor is a smaller-size display than most, the SideTrak Swivel mounts directly to your laptop’s display with a magnetic frame. It then pulls out from behind the screen when needed. This approach makes it extremely easy to transport and ensures both displays are at the same height. You can manually adjust the SideTrak’s viewing angle, or you can rotate the monitor 360 degrees. If you’re looking for some detachment, the Swivel’s collapsible mounting frame also allows the monitor to stand on its own using a built-in kickstand.

This version of the SideTrak Swivel Portable Monitor is compatible with Windows or Mac laptops, with a built-in display between 13 inches and 17 inches. It is not, however, compatible with Microsoft Surface devices that have their own kickstand, or with many 2-in-1 laptops whose screens contort into different positions. The 16:9 monitor’s refresh rate is 50Hz (most portable monitors are at 60Hz), but its brightness is higher than others, at a maximum of 300 nits. The unit comes with the mounting plates needed to attach securely it to your computer.

The Xebec Tri-Screen 2 uses a mounting frame to attach two slide-out 10.1-inch displays to the back of your laptop’s existing screen. Each Xebec display slides out from behind your laptop—one on each side of your laptop’s display—thus creating a highly portable three-display work area. Installing these two monitors and its bracket requires the supplied frame clamps, but nothing extra, like magnets or glue.

Each 16:10 aspect ratio display measures 6.5 millimeters thick, with 1920 x 1200 resolution at 60-hertz refresh rate. And each monitor can rotate 180 degrees. This setup is compatible with all Windows PCs, Macs and ChromeOS-based computers, yet it only adds two pounds to what you need to carry around. Overall, this is an extremely useful design that’ll dramatically boost your productivity when working (or playing) remotely. It’s well worth the investment.

Whether you’re watching movies, playing games, or editing and viewing photos or video content, this portable monitor will make a great companion to your laptop computer. It offers 400 nits brightness and a 100000:1 contrast ratio. This allows the monitor to display more vivid colors and contrast, though as is common with most OLED panels, it doesn’t have a great brightness ceiling for outdoor viewing. To help protect your eyes, it offers a built-in blue light filter. Gamers will enjoy the 1ms response rate and 60Hz refresh rate.

The ASUS ROG Strix 17.3-inch portable monitor has an impressive 300 nits of brightness, higher than most competitors. It also has fast 240Hz refresh rate, a 3ms response time and adaptive-sync support, which translates into fluid graphics and animations during gameplay.

In addition to being ready for gaming, this model has a built-in rechargeable battery for up to 3 hours of intense and continuous gaming wherever you go. The USB Type-C port supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and USB Power Delivery 3.0. The included cover works as a variable-angle stand, too.

The ViewSonic VX1755 targets gamers who need portability and speed. This 17.2-inch display carries 1080p resolution, and it has a fast 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium support to help gameplay look buttery smooth. It also has an anti-glare and flicker-free screen with a built-in blue light filter.

The viewing angle is good, but not as wide as some at 170-degrees. This monitor comes with a built-in stand that doubles as a cover. You have two USB Type-C ports to work with, plus two-way power over a single cable so the laptop can power the monitor. At 2.2 pounds, this monitor weighs only a little more than some smaller 15.6-inch models.

The Arzopa G1 portable monitor is a solid choice for gamers watching their budget. The G1 packs a fast 144Hz refresh rate, which translates into smooth and artifact-free animations and gameplay. It lets you choose to display content in either a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio, and it supports 100% of the sRGB color gamut, displaying 16.7 million colors at 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution.

Also of note: This monitor is incredibly lightweight at just 1.4 pounds and thin (a mere 0.4-inches), making it an ideal add-on to your mobile kit. Overall, it’s a superb value for less than $200.

If you’re using a 17.3-inch portable monitor for productivity, a 2K resolution display offers an excellent compromise, with sharper text and more detailed images than you’d get from a standard 1080p monitor. This Bimawen BN7S monitor has a 60Hz refresh rate and 16:9 aspect ratio, as well as blue light reduction to make staring at the monitor easier on your eyes. The monitor supports 100% of the sRGB color gamut.

It comes with a convenient magnetic Smart Cover which doubles as an adjustable stand. Thanks to the 178-degree field of view, multiple people will have no trouble viewing the monitor at the same time—even if they’re looking at it from an angle. It’s heavier than most portable monitors, listed at 4.8 pounds.

Consider the overall size and weight of the monitor, especially if you expect to carry it along with your laptop when on the road. Smaller screen sizes are lighter than larger ones, by nature. An attached monitor may make sense, given its small size and light weight. It also conveniently attaches to your laptop’s screen, so you can carry everything as one unit.

As a secondary monitor used for multitasking, you may find a smaller size display will accommodate your work habits and need for extra portability. Meanwhile, if your work requires photo editing, writing, drawing or annotating, choosing a second monitor with a touchscreen display will be likely be beneficial.

Many portable monitors rely on your laptop’s power, unless they come with their own built-in battery. Some monitors have a second USB Type-C port, through which you can attach your own power source. If you’re using a monitor powered by your laptop, then expect your laptop’s battery charge to run low faster. And the monitor will drain power faster still if it’s 4K, since higher resolution displays require more power. Power might be one reason brightness suffers on a portable monitor, so we advise to look for monitors with an LED backlight for a brighter display that’s usable in a well-lit environment.

This is display panel technology used by monitors to produce better colors and widen the display’s effective viewing angle. Especially if you"ll be playing games, viewing graphic or video-based content, or working with high-resolution digital images, look for a monitor that uses IPS. Beware lower-cost models that use less capable display technologies.

While some portable monitors have two tiny, low-powered speakers built-in, chances are the speakers built into your computer offer higher-quality audio. For the best audio experience, consider using headphones or wireless earbuds with noise cancellation, as opposed to relying on the audio that some of these portable monitors can generate. Check out our picks for the best wireless headphones and earbuds.

In general, larger displays cost more. Higher resolution and faster refresh rates also add to the price of a portable monitor. Well-known brand names—like ViewSonic, ASUS, Lenovo or Dell—carry a small premium over some of the generic models you can find at Amazon and other e-tailers.

All non-touchscreen portable monitors can work with a Mac or a PC. Some models can work with other operating systems, such as ChromeOS or Linux, so double check the specs if you want to use the monitor with one of those operating systems.

Touchscreen portable monitors are trickier. All have Windows support, but only some support additional operating systems—including MacOS, ChromeOS and Android. If you want to use the monitor with a Mac, look specifically for monitors with a dedicated driver or software to enable touch. ViewSonic, Espresso and SideTrak all come with some variation of Mac software.Use your Apple iPad as a second screen for your MacBook or iMac thanks to the SideCar feature.Apple

If you’re a MacBook (or iMac) user and have an iPad tablet, the latest MacOS and iPadOS operating systems have a Sidecar feature, so you can use your iPad tablet as a second monitor for your computer—either with or without a cable.

Portable monitors are small, compact and lightweight computer screens designed to be connected to your laptop computer to expand the on-screen real estate available to run your favorite applications. A portable monitor makes multitasking on a laptop computer much easier and more efficient.

Most portable monitors rely on your laptop computer’s battery power to function—requiring just one cable to link it with your computer. This option will reduce your laptop computer’s battery life between charges. However, some portable monitors have their own built-in rechargeable battery. All are easy to transport and can likely fit within your existing laptop case, briefcase, or carry-on bag.

The best portable monitors come in a wide range of sizes. The size you choose is a matter of personal preference and should be based on your work habits and needs, as well as how much you want to spend.The SideTrak portable monitor attaches to the back of your laptop computer"s existing screen and ... [+]provides a second screen.SideTrak

Some portable monitors are extremely compact and provide an extra 12- to 14-inch display, although it’s more common for a portable monitor to offer at least a 15.6-inch display. A few displays go up to just over 17 inches. Displays larger still are more cumbersome to travel with and typically need to be plugged into an electrical outlet to function, making them less portable and more like a smaller desktop monitor.

As for thickness, most portable monitors are less than 0.5 inches and the monitors themselves weigh less than two pounds. Most come with a travel case or cover—making them very easy to transport with your laptop computer. Of course, this varies based on the screen size and model you choose.

Yes. Portable monitors typically include some cables, such as a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable, a Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable and a USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable. As soon as you plug a portable monitor into your computer, Windows or Mac identifies it as a display and it should work immediately. In some cases, however, you may need to download a free driver or adjust the System Display Settings (Windows) or Display System Preferences (Mac) on your computer for the portable monitor to function properly.

A portable monitor adds screen real estate, either doubling or tripling your screens (if you get a multi-screen model as from Xebec). This makes multitasking much easier, and it allows you to view multiple applications at once. The extra screen space can help if you have a laptop with a smaller display, such as a 13-inch ultraportable laptop.

It all comes down to what you use your computer for, whether being able to multitask is important to you and how much physical space you have to set up your equipment on a desk or flat surface. Most people discover that having two or even three screens can be extremely beneficial for increasing their productivity and making their workflow easier. This is a must-have accessory if you’re a remote worker who need to be highly productive from airports, hotels, or even coffee shops. However, not everyone needs a 4K resolution portable monitor or one that’s 15-inches or larger. You’ll typically save money going with a smaller display that offers 1080p resolution.

large touch screen monitors and eye strain made in china

How close is the smartphone or laptop you’re reading this on from your eyes? Probably just a few inches. How long have you spent looking at a screen today? If you’re close to the average it’s likely to be over nine hours.

New research from ophthalmologists shows that our constant screen time is radically changing our eyes. Just like the rest of our bodies, the human eye is supposed to stop growing after our teens. Now it keeps growing.

When our eyes spend more time focusing on near objects, like phones, screens or even paperbacks, it makes our eyeballs elongate, which prevents the eye from bending light the way it should. This elongation increases nearsightedness, called myopia, which causes distant objects to appear blurred. Myopia affects half of young adults in the US, twice as many as 50 years ago and over 40% of the population.When many of us began working from home, researchers predicted this dramatic online increase would cause never-before-seen eye dysfunction. They were right

For adults this might cause eye strains or speed up existing vision issues. But for kids, whose eyes are still developing, the situation is so dire that the American Academy of Optometry and American Academy of Ophthalmology both consider myopia an epidemic.

Working for prolonged periods, whether texting, reading or jotting emails is what optometrists call “near work”. The trouble with holding a screen close to your face isn’t about light shining into your eyes, it’s about the strain of the eye. For one, your eyes blink far less when they’re focused so closely. As you’re holding your phone in your hand, performing near work, your muscles stretch and your lenses shift since our eyes over-accommodate to constant close-distance tasks. That’s why they’re growing.

When you put on a pair of glasses, your eye muscles relax because they’re no longer straining. Ditto if you put down your phone – sans glasses – blink a couple times and stare off into the distance for 20 seconds.

Does this affect you? Probably. How much extra time on screen have you had in the past 18 months? How much work have you been doing from home? Pre-pandemic, our phones were already constant companions. When many of us began working from home and e-learning last year, researchers predicted this dramatic online increase would cause never-before-seen eye dysfunction. They were right.

Last spring, Chinese researchers tested over 120,000 Covid-quarantined students aged six to eight and found myopia and other vision issues linked to home confinement increased up to three times compared with the previous five years – that’s with as little as 2.5 more hours of e-learning (not counting video games, social media, etc). Results for US students could be much higher since many American kids spend most of their days online. “Virtual learning has definitely increased myopia,” says Dr Luxme Hariharan, of the Nicklaus children’s hospital in Miami, Florida, who points anecdotally to a huge shift in cases in the last year. “Prolonged near work [like looking at screens up close] makes our eyes overcompensate.”

“We can clinically measure the millimeter lengthening of the eyeball,” explains Dr Eric Chow, a Miami, Florida optometrist. “Studies have shown that the longer the axial length, the higher the risk of eye diseases like glaucoma, retinal detachment and cataracts.”

Straining vision introduces a host of eye-related health problems. And it’s more than just kids needing prescriptions. “People say ‘oh, it’s just glasses,’” says Dr Aaron Miller, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Houston Eye Associates. “The nearsighted have much higher chances of retina tears and glaucoma, bigger issues secondary to nearsightedness. It’s the long game we worry about.”

This isn’t just a western problem. There is a genetic component here, but it’s clear that behavior accelerates the change. Poor eyes can lead to decreased work efficiency and huge loss of productivity – think money–for multinationals. That’s why nations like China are so worried about this that they have already changed their education system, limiting how long students study – even extra tutoring – to curb the near-work that heightens myopia. The US should do the same, says Miller.

Labeling myopia a second public health crisis is no hyperbole. 10-year-old Aleena Joyce’s screen time tripled in the last 18 months, with many school days – and two-thirds of Aleena’s waking hours – held almost entirely on her iPad. The Illinois fourth-grader had already been diagnosed with myopia – nearsightedness – in kindergarten, and her eyes had worsened each year.

“Sometimes we would have to go in prior to her annual eye exam because she noticed more difficulty with reading the board at school,” says Yusra Cheema, Aleena’s mother.

Aleena was one of a handful of students who said that their vision had markedly worsened in connection with increased screen time. The parents of Alan Kim, the child actor and nine-year-old Minari star, said their son’s prescription doubled in the last year in part due to the near work of on-set studies held on his iPad.

Each child now uses new FDA-approved contact lenses that effectively reshape the eye to slow down myopia. But most parents and their kids have no idea this issue even exists.

These problems affect adults too. Constant connection can heighten high or degenerative myopia, severe nearsightedness that progressively worsens and can lead to cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment – since the eyeball stretches and the retina thins – but thankfully, it’s rare. Risk grows with age, and can speed up gradual loss of the eye’s ability to focus, called presbyopia.

Detection can help. Home approaches like GoCheckKids, an FDA-registered vision screening app allows any parent to take a photo of their child’s eyes to analyze how light refracts and measure their risks for near or farsightedness and other eye diseases.Every 20 minutes, look at a distance 20 feet away, for 20 secondsDr Luxme Hariharan

Specialized contact lenses are another major tool, says Dr Michele Andrews, a vice-president of CooperVision, the company behind the FDA-approved MiSight contacts. “It’s a contact geared for children aged eight to 12 whose eyes are growing,” she explains, “Which slow down the progression of myopia and change the shape of the eyeball.”

Last week at the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Boston, an annual eye research conference, Andrews presented the results of a seven-year study that showed abnormal axial length growth slowed by an average of 50% among eight-to-17-year-olds who wore her company’s corrective contacts. Perhaps most striking is for those who suffered from myopia, wore the lenses, then stopped wearing them, “we learned there is no rebound effect,” she says. “Myopia did not come back” after kids stopped wearing her company’s contacts. That’s because these lenses “change the way the light bends inside the eye and pulls the image in front of the retina”, she says, which slows axial growth because the clear image is now in front of the retina. If there’s no reason to grow then the problem resolves itself early.

As myopia is typically most pronounced – and dangerous – as the eyes grow, this solution is geared for kids. But adults have hope too. “Spend more time outdoors,” recommends Chow, at least two hours daily. “Studies have shown thatincreased sunlight decreases myopia progression.”

Most important is taking breaks which help eyes rest, blink and lubricate. Then there’s the 20-20-20 model. “Every 20 minutes, look at a distance 20 feet away, for 20 seconds,” Hariharan advises. “Being on the computer for hours on end isn’t good for your health. Don’t break to play video games or pick up another screen. Go outside!”This article was amended on 15 November 2021 to correct a typo and to clarify how MiSight contacts work.

large touch screen monitors and eye strain made in china

If you’re always surrounded by displays—PCs, smartphones and tablets—are you placing too much strain on your eyes, neck and shoulders? If this sounds like you, read this article and take steps to address it right away before your symptoms worsen.

In recent years, many people would probably say the time they spend looking at displays has increased. In addition to televisions and PCs, smartphones and tablets have quickly become popular, and displays have penetrated every aspect of our lives.

Information technology has made our lives more convenient, but at the same time, eye fatigue caused by continuous viewing of displays has increasingly become a social problem. If you feel fatigue in your eyes, neck or shoulders, it"s important to properly address it rather than letting it go. If you let it go and your symptoms worsen, you could damage your mental and physical health, so be careful.

Some of the names for the various problems associated with displays and eyes are "computer vision syndrome," "VDT (visual display terminal) syndrome" and "technostress ophthalmopathy." They"re unavoidable problems when it comes to PC work in particular. There are various ways to address the problems, and the effects vary from person to person, but if you try one at a time, you"ll undoubtedly be able to experience a more pleasant digital life. It will also contribute to improved productivity in the office.

We"ve put together a list of 10 points about measures to address eye fatigue. We recommend checking the items that catch your eye first and then going back to the start and reading through all of them.

Have you ever been on a train and had the sun shine on your book from behind you making it hard to read or on your smartphone screen creating a glare and making it hard to see?

When you"re working on your PC, similar poor conditions may develop without you realizing it. For example, if the lights are near the center of the room, and your PC is set up with you facing the wall, although the level of brightness is different, you could experience something similar to sunlight shining on your screen from behind you like on the train. If that"s the case, consider changing the layout.

What can further worsen your eye fatigue in a situation like this is the light reflected from your display. Shiny glare panels are made to provide accurate blacks and colorful display, so they are good for watching videos, but they also tend to reflect outside light. In an office or similar setting, lights and other displays can be reflected on your screen, throwing off your focus and causing eye fatigue.

For regular PC work, an LCD with a non-glare panel that does not reflect light is easier to use. If the product you"re currently using has a glare panel, you can affix low-reflection film to the screen.

Fluorescent lights are brightly reflected on the glare panel, making the screen hard to see. These conditions can easily strain your eyes (left). A non-glare panel can substantially reduce the reflection of fluorescent lights and reduce the strain on your eyes (right). The difference is as plain as day.

It’s also important not to make the lights in the room too bright. It"s common for advice to focus on not letting the room be too dark, but if the lights are too bright, it creates a difference between the screen brightness and ambient light, and that"s also no good. More specific details on screen brightness are provided in Point 5. Also pay attention to the temperature setting on your air conditioner and the direction in which it blows. These things can cause dry eyes, and your seat should never be positioned so that the air conditioner is blowing directly in your face.

Generally speaking, the distance between the user and the screen should be at least 40 centimeters or 50 centimeters in the case of a wide screen. The reason you should be further away from a wide screen is that the wider screen will not fit completely into your field of vision unless you sit further back. The conditions will vary slightly depending on other factors as well, including screen resolution, text size and your eyesight.

No matter what the situation, if you are viewing a screen at a distance of less than 30 centimeters for long periods of time, your eyes are obviously going to become fatigued. If you have an A4-sized sheet of paper, hold it up longways between you and the screen on which this article is displayed and see if there is enough room for it to fit. An A4-sized sheet of paper is about 30 centimeters (297 millimeters) long, so if you"re viewing the screen from a shorter distance than this, you"re too close. If you"re viewing it at a distance of about 1.5 times that length, you"re safe for now.

Once you"re at the proper distance from the display, try to have it so that your line of sight is directly ahead or slightly downward when viewing the screen. You should avoid looking up at the screen, because that can cause dry eye.

Your posture sitting in your chair is also important. Sit back in the chair, sit up straight using the back rest, and keep the bottom of your feet completely on the floor. This eliminates extra strain on your neck, shoulders and lower back. Sitting hunchbacked can lead to health problems in the long run, so you need to exercise caution. If your feet don"t reach the floor, consider using a footrest.

Displays that do not allow sufficient adjustment of the angle and height of the screen can lead users to adjust their posture to the screen position, which prevents them from working in the correct posture. Choose a display that has rich features including a tilt function allowing the screen to be tilted up and down and a height adjustment function.

The adjustment mechanism of the LCD is also important for working on a PC in a posture that does not strain the eyes, neck and shoulders. Choose a product that allows the screen to be lowered just above the table top and flexible tilt adjustments (photograph: EIZO"s FlexScan EV2436W.

Even if the installation location of the display and your posture during use is proper, working in the same posture for extended periods of time is not good for your eyes. The reason is that constantly looking at something at a fixed distance causes a gradual decline in your eyes" ability to focus.

Take a 10-15 minute break at least once an hour. Look into the distance and move your eyes up, down, left and right to adjust your focus. It"s also good to regularly use eye drops.

A common mistake people make is looking at smartphone and tablet displays during their break. This does not allow your eyes to rest. Stretch to relieve tension, stand up and walk around, and look near and far either indoors or outdoors to adjust the focus of your eyes.

The suggestions up to this point have been predicated on the assumption that you have sufficient eyesight or that you use glasses or contact lens to properly correct your eyesight.

Eyesight changes gradually during daily life activities. Even if you wear glasses or contact lenses, if you stay at the same prescription for many years, your eyesight will change without you realizing it, and this could cause eye fatigue or migraine headaches. Using eye drops and adjusting the focus of your eyes during breaks does not help this problem.

Where you get in trouble is your eyesight doesn"t change suddenly one day, so even if you have symptoms like eye fatigue and headaches, it"s hard to identify the cause. If you let it go, it could lead to glaucoma and other worsening symptoms, so you should have your eyes checked at least once a year, which may be included in your company or school health examinations. Be vigilant about checking to make sure your prescription is not off.

The brightness of your display should not be left at the default setting but adjusted according to the brightness of the room where it"s installed. This can greatly reduce the strain on your eyes. For example, in an office with normal brightness of 300-500 lux, the display brightness should be adjusted to around 100-150 cd/m2.

But when you give specific numbers like this, most people have no idea what they mean. So what you want to remember is that the trick to adjusting the brightness is using white paper like copy paper. Compare the paper under the lighting in the room to the screen, and adjust the brightness of the display so that the brightness matches as closely as possible. This will put the brightness at about the right level.

Particularly, when using the display for work, you"ll often be comparing paper documents with documents on the screen, so by adjusting the brightness of the screen to the brightness of the paper under the lighting, you"ll reduce the strain on your eyes, making this an effective measure against eye fatigue.

Put white paper next to the screen as shown, and adjust the display brightness while comparing it to the paper. Screen too bright compared to the paper (left), and display brightness adjusted to appropriate level so that the brightness of the paper and the screen are roughly the same (right).

What you need to remember is that if the brightness of the room where the display is installed changes dramatically in the morning, afternoon and evening, the brightness of the screen needs to be changed accordingly, or there"s no point. If you have to adjust it frequently like that, doing it manually is bothersome, and keeping it up becomes difficult. Consider purchasing a display that comes with a function to automatically adjust screen brightness to the optimal setting according to external light.

The majority of LCDs today have LED backlights. In some cases, the brightness adjustment mechanism (dimming system) causes eye fatigue. Specifically, caution is required with the system called PWM (Pulse Modulation), which is employed by most displays. In this system, the LED element blinking time is adjusted to control the display brightness — extending the time that it"s on makes it brighter, and extending the time that it"s off makes it darker.

For some people, this blinking of the screen is experienced as flickering, leading to eye fatigue. There is a difference among individuals in how this flickering is experienced. Many people using the same display will not notice anything at all, so even in an office where the same model is purchased in bulk, it"s difficult to figure out that the display is the cause.

The only way to prevent this is to address it with the display itself. Some displays prevent flickering by employing special dimming systems such as DC (Direct Current), a system that, in principle, does not produce flickering, and EyeCare Dimming, a hybrid system used in some EIZO products. By purchasing a product like this, you may eliminate eye fatigue for which the cause was unknown.

We"d like to add a note about the EyeCare dimming system. This hybrid system uses DC dimming at high brightness settings and PWM dimming at low brightness settings as it does a better job than DC dimming at reproducing colors at low brightness. PWM dimming is only used at low brightness settings, so the blinking luminance difference is smaller, thereby controlling flickering.

If you feel like your eye fatigue has worsened since starting to use your current display, this could be the cause. If you"re in an office, switching out displays with another member of the staff is another effective way to identify the cause.

EIZO"s FlexScan EV series employs the unique EyeCare Dimming system. We put a small USB fan in front of the screen to check for flickering. At high brightness, DC dimming is used, and the light emitting elements do not blink, so the shape of the blades appears circular (left). At low brightness, PWM dimming is used, and the blades appear separate from each other, so you can see that high-speed blinking that can"t be perceived is taking place (right).

Recently, it has become common to hear blue light pointed out as a cause of eye fatigue. This refers to light that is visible to humans (visible light) with a wavelength close to that of ultraviolet rays. Because it has a high level of energy, it is generally said to place a strain on the eyes.

The reason it has recently been the subject of attention is that there are many LCD products with LED backlights that have a high color temperature display (white appears bluish), and there are more cases where the user is subjected to stronger blue light than with conventional displays, so this type of problem has come under closer scrutiny.

Some methods to address the problem are to wear blue light blocking glasses or to apply blue light reducing film to the LCD screen. Also remember that on products that allow the display picture quality to be adjusted, you can lower the color temperature on the display.

For example, results of an experiment (results of EIZO study) show that if you change the 6,500-7,000K color temperature used in common displays to 5,000K, the 400-500nm wavelengths corresponding to blue light can be cut by about 20%. Furthermore, by adjusting the screen brightness to a proper level that does not cause eye fatigue, you can reduce blue light by a total of 60-70%. Many of the aforementioned blue light blocking glasses only cut up to 50% of blue light, so this is more effective.

However, lowering the color temperature causes the screen display to change to reddish or yellowish in color, and color reproducibility is lowered. For that reason, it"s best if you can lower the color temperature for working with office documents and put it back to normal when doing creative work dealing with photographs and images.

Same data displayed at color temperatures of 7500K, 6500K and 5000K (left to right). When the color temperature is lowered, the appearance changes from a bluish to a reddish display and you can see at a glance that the blue light is reduced.

It"s a little painful to hear, but in many cases, changing your lifestyle habits is a fundamental way that you can address eye fatigue. If you have poor lifestyle habits that can bring about poor physical health like lack of sleep, lack of exercise or nutritional deficiency from poor eating habits, take this opportunity to re-examine them.

Cutting down on PC and smartphone use before bedtime is also a surprisingly important point. The light put off by PC and smartphone screens, including the aforementioned blue light, is said to be effective in waking you up. Looking at these screens before bedtime tends to make it harder to fall asleep. Considering this, it"s actually not a good idea to read e-books on smartphones or tablets before bedtime.

If you"ve taken the above steps and your eye fatigue has not gotten better or there are signs that it"s getting worse, you should consider undergoing an examination by an ophthalmologist. Not only will you receive expert advice on your symptoms but it may also lead to early detection of inconceivable eye diseases like the aforementioned glaucoma.

As you can see from the points we"ve already gone over, if you really want to address eye fatigue, you obviously have to put in effort yourself, but your choice of display is another important point. No matter how much you as the user address eye fatigue, if your display does not meet certain quality standards, the effectiveness of your efforts will be limited.

If you"ve checked off items 1-9 but your eye fatigue has remained unchanged for a long period of time, you may want to turn your attention to the display itself.

For example, EIZO"s FlexScan EV series of LCDs places emphasis on addressing eye fatigue and has features to address points 1 (installation environment), 2 (posture during use), 3 (proper rest), 5 (brightness), 6 (flickering) and 7 (blue light) above.

The FlexScan EV series requires almost no cumbersome manual adjustments, offering the major advantage of automating features that address eye fatigue. If you"re someone who knows the tricks to addressing eye fatigue but are finding them difficult to implement due to being busy, we recommend that you seriously consider the FlexScan EV series.

In Paper mode, the color and contrast display is similar to paper. With this excellent feature, the color temperature is lowered instantly with the touch of a button, and blue light is substantially reduced (left). If you use the Auto EcoView function, the built-in illuminance sensor detects ambient brightness and automatically takes the display brightness down to the optimal level in real time (right). The aforementioned EyeCare Dimming system suppresses flickering of the screen display at the same time.

Auto EcoView automatic brightness adjustment function detecting ambient brightness with built-in illuminance sensor and setting display brightness to optimal level

Paper mode display features color and contrast similar to paper. EyeCare Filter software applies filter pattern that controls brightness and contrast.

We"ve looked at various measures to address eye fatigue, but in cases where the user is required to remember to do them daily as they work, particularly when busy, people tend to neglect them. Moreover, when people make the effort to do these individual things to address eye fatigue but then don"t get much of a benefit due to the quality of the display, it"s really a waste if you think about it. Purchasing a replacement display requires an adequate expenditure, so people tend to hesitate, but if you"re purchasing a product that has excellent basic performance, eliminates the need for cumbersome manual settings and automatically lessens eye fatigue, isn"t it worth it?

The value of considering replacing the display itself is significant as a trump card for addressing eye fatigue. At home, it will help protect your eyes and the eyes of your loved ones, and at the office where you sit in front of the screen for long hours, it"s sure to contribute to greater efficiency and an improved working environment.

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