LCD versus CRT? Any difference?

[Raj]

Anyone switch from a CRT display for their computer to an LCD and find that it makes a difference for their dry eye?

There are some great LCD monitors available now.

Raj

[Scout]

Anyone switch from a CRT display for their computer to an LCD and find that it makes a difference for their dry eye?

There are some great LCD monitors available now.

Raj

Hello Raj,

I use an iMac, not the most recent version [in which the computer is actually contained in the flat screen itself] but the model released just prior. It has a 17-inch flat screen that is connected to the computer by a movable arm that allows you to move the screen in any possible manner [up, down, back, forward, tilted in any possible angle, etc.]

Since I wear bifocals again [after LASIK correction regressed], the movable flat screen has been great. I pull the screen so low that the bottom edge of the flat screen touches my desk and I don't have to tip my head [due to bifocals] to read the computer screen. That has eliminated any neck strain for me.

What I also discovered is that with my head level and my eyes looking down, my eyelids are slightly closed. [Rebecca posted about this in a "tip of the day" previously]. This does help slightly with dry eye in that the eyes are somewhat protected by being slightly closed. The better resolution of the screen and the better (Macintosh, of course ) graphics help with eye strain, but the ability to position the screen helps the most, for me.

Scout

[Raj]

Hi Scout,

Ah, those Macs are sweet, huh. I have a Windows PC, but have been just drooling over the lastest Macs. Apple has something like 80% of the Mp3 player market, and they're in an agreement with Motorola to get their iTunes stuff into cell phones. Theory is that the digital camera, the mp3 player, and the cell phone are all converging into a single product. Anyway, Apple is making some major cash on their iPod, which should allow them more lattitude to innovate in their PCs. They actually sell a 30-inch LCD monitor now. Unreal. Great times for Apple enthusiasts.

I took about a two week vacation from my computer a couple of years ago. The dry eye seemed to improve. Even though the vertical refresh rate of modern CRTs is usually 75 or 85 hertz even at high resolutions, I have to wonder whether it still might contribute to dry eye. An LCD wouldn't have that issue at all, would probably be somewhat sharper, and would have better contrast. If I gained 1 second of tear break up time by switching, it would be worth it.

Hadn't thought about tilting the LCD...that makes it even more attractive.

Raj