Eye strain. Solution = bigger + higher res monitor?

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As per the title, when I'm playing games such as ARMA 2 or 3 when I'm really having to concentrate on the screen to spot enemies in the distance after a while my eyes become really fatigued sometimes. Other games where I'm just playing casually are fine. It ends up so I'm straining my eyes just to see the screen clearly if I continue playing.

I feel that the problem is the size of my monitor, its a 22" 1080p TN panel that's quite a few years old, probably 5 or 6. Samsung P2270 according to the tag on the bezel. To remedy this problem I feel like I need to increase monitor size so that I'm not straining my eyes, the monitor sits about 3 to 3.5ft away from me.

I imagine jumping to 27" minimum would be much better for me. Would an increase in resolution also help in games like this? I'm confused as to whether the higher resolution would make everything smaller in game, or more defined so that I can pick out objects in the distance easier.

Thanks guys.


Just as a side note, my vision is fine (when wearing my glasses :p) its just due to eye fatigue that can sometimes occur when really concentrating on the monitor.
 
Lots of other things aside, if we're just talking about size then 22 inch is definitely a bit wee these days for gaming.

Get a 27 inch 1440p screen and you'll feel like you're in Star Trek. In a good way. You may want to go even bigger but bear in mind the ppi will be less (if still at 1440p) so it won't look as sharp. 27 inch is a good sweet spot for 1440p.
Or, if you have the grunt you may even wish to consider 4k, which opens up the possibilities and discussion even more....
 
Too high res for the inches and things get harder to see.

1080p at 24" might be all you need - depends how bad the problem is, maybe need glasses :S

maybe will need glasses if you keep staring at the screen! go outside :P
 
Also eye strain can be accountable to your surroundings. You are not supposed to use a monitor against a wall. This is because your eye focuses on your monitor and when you move your eye away from it even for a second the focus remains on the wall behind. Whereas if you had a further distance away behind your monitor your eye changes focus and relaxes more. Its a bit like when you go for a long run and when its over you are meant to do a small period of warming down.

It all depends on the length of time you are concentrating on the screen. A bigger screen may help but it could also make it worse.
 
As mentioned, there can be many factors contributing to your eye strain. Factors such as lack of quality sleep, dry eyes, screen glare and blue lights emitting from your screen (made worse if using your screen in the dark).
 
Older monitor might not be as bright either. As above there's a range of factors.

While I do like a big monitor for more real estate. I find a lower resolution more relaxing on the eye. So I have a 24" with 1920x1280 and I find that great. But that's a bright monitor. I have to turn down the brightness at night, but in sunlight I turn it up.

I find higher resolution gives you a competitive advantage in a game, but I wouldn't find it easier on the eye.
 
I actually found that increasing size without increasing resolution made my eyes hurt more.

Was used to using a 24" 1080p at work, bought myself a 27" 1080p for home, and got really bad eye-strain. Ended up ditching it for a 23" 1080p and the eyestrain went.

Now have a 34" 3440x1440 (so the same height as the 27", but higher res) and no issues.

But I'm long sighted, so I guess if you're short sighted the effect might be the opposite?
 
Make sure your in a well lit room, and yeah a bigger monitor helps, if not only so you can move it further away.

I started getting a stiff back about 6 months back so i had to stop sitting at my PC chair, even though its an expensive operators chair. I just sit back on the sofa now when i play and scaled up my desktop and the UI in some games, now i find its more like watching TV rather than playing at the PC its its much more comfortable on the eyes for a lot longer periods. Im guessing its just cause its further away from me so my eyes dont need to focus in so much.
 
Haggisman said:
I actually found that increasing size without increasing resolution made my eyes hurt more.

Was used to using a 24" 1080p at work, bought myself a 27" 1080p for home, and got really bad eye-strain. Ended up ditching it for a 23" 1080p and the eyestrain went.

Now have a 34" 3440x1440 (so the same height as the 27", but higher res) and no issues.

But I'm long sighted, so I guess if you're short sighted the effect might be the opposite?
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I think you've changed so many variables, quality of monitor, difference in eye sight, different environment, viewing angle, that its impossible to know which, if not all of the above fixed the issue for you.

Some people are sensitive the quality of a monitor and some aren't. Even where the size and resolution are the same the quality can vary quite a lot between monitors, and laptop screens.
 
OspreyO said:
I think you've changed so many variables, quality of monitor, difference in eye sight, different environment, viewing angle, that its impossible to know which, if not all of the above fixed the issue for you.

Some people are sensitive the quality of a monitor and some aren't. Even where the size and resolution are the same the quality can vary quite a lot between monitors, and laptop screens.
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The 27" and 23" were from the same range (AOC i2769VM/AOC i2369VM) used in exactly the same environment, so unless those panels are significantly different, it seems like the resolution (I could see clearer by moving further away)
 
You didn't move them further away you made them smaller. Which isn't the same thing. Unless you actually did change the distance of your head from the screen. On reflection, what you did both times was make the image sharper (at the same distance I assume) Which you found less fatiguing. Most people do.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, maybe it is due to the quality of the monitor too as its not the best if Im honest. I regularly (even now) use my 17" MacBook to read small text at 1920 x 1200 resolution and its completely fine. Oddly enough though today I went on the PC and played Arma completely fine with no issues despite having a horrendous nights sleep due to man flu! I thought my overall fatigue would cause issues with my eyes.

But anyways back to the monitor, the monitor I had been eyeing up, due to price and performance was the Dell U2515H. 25" at 1440p - would this improve my situation, especially having that nice IPS screen or should I look for something larger at this res, such as 27/32". 32" may be too big however, I'd have to see.
 
Eye strain is mainly down to the flicker og the pixels within a screen.

A professional grade monitor (I have a Asus PB278QR at work 2560x1440 IPS) will normally come with flicker free tech.

I know the Dell u3415w come with this too.
 
OspreyO said:
You didn't move them further away you made them smaller.
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Sorry, should have been clearer :p

With the 27", if I sat back a couple of ft on my chair playing a game with a controller I could play for a couple of hours with no issue, sitting up close I would get a headache playing after 30 mins (I didn't actually twig it was my eyes until my GF said I was squinting a lot :p)

OspreyO said:
what you did both times was make the image sharper (at the same distance I assume) Which you found less fatiguing. Most people do.
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Yeah - I guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way is that if the OP increases his screen size without changing the resolution it might make things worse as the screen wont be as sharp.

If he increases the screen size but also increases the resolution to match then it may not make a difference as the image will essentially be the same "size" there will just be more of it :p

Might be as simple as the OP needing different glasses for close-up work?

Do you find it helps if you move your eyes closer to the screen or further away?
 
HalfBakedJake said:
Eye strain is mainly down to the flicker og the pixels within a screen.

A professional grade monitor (I have a Asus PB278QR at work 2560x1440 IPS) will normally come with flicker free tech.

I know the Dell u3415w come with this too.
Click to expand...



Thanks for that, didn't know! I do love that Dell monitor but tbh for the games I play it would be wasted as I don't thin they support that aspect ratio. Mainly ARMA.
 
Haggisman said:
Yeah - I guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way is that if the OP increases his screen size without changing the resolution it might make things worse as the screen wont be as sharp.

If he increases the screen size but also increases the resolution to match then it may not make a difference as the image will essentially be the same "size" there will just be more of it :p

Might be as simple as the OP needing different glasses for close-up work?

Do you find it helps if you move your eyes closer to the screen or further away?
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Closer to the screen helps I think but not much I have to really strain to focus my eyes to see clearly or its all blurred and my eyes just feel heavy.

Whats going to be the perfect step up in size and resolution then to give me the best image quality to reduce this eye strain. At 27" should I be looking at 1440p or 4K? I don't have the rig to drive 4k right now sufficiently as I've got a GTX 780 and waiting for Pascal before I upgrade.


I should add that I have never ever experienced eye strain when playing console on my tv which I sit about 7-8ft from and is 40" 1080p. Then again I've never played ARMA on it :P
 
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well, its' possible your monitor is up the duff with falling contrast levels or something like that, a poor picture can obviously cause eye strain. But really it sounds like you're wearing the wrong glasses if you cant focus on the screen from normal viewing distances.
 
james.miller said:
well, its' possible your monitor is up the duff with falling contrast levels or something like that, a poor picture can obviously cause eye strain. But really it sounds like you're wearing the wrong glasses if you cant focus on the screen from normal viewing distances.
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I can normally focus on the screen perfectly fine, its just after long periods of use when concentrating extremely hard to try and see the tiny little pixels moving for an enemy in the distance that my eyes get really tired and struggle to see the monitor properly in focus. However I can turn it off and go and sit and watch TV perfectly fine with not a single problem. It really does seem that the monitor is the issue.
 
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