How can I prevent eyestrain?

Question

I can use a Windows machine for 10 hours straight without the slightest problem, but after around 15-30 minutes of using ubuntu my eyes become sore and dried out.

I currently have 11.04 installed with a dual-boot Windows XP. Same hardware, eyestrain only with ubuntu.

I've also tried different versions of ubuntu on two different machines. Same eyestrain problem. I've tried combinations of fonts and font rendering and installed the microsoft fonts, although I'm not sure it is related to the fonts anyway because I think the fonts look quite nice.

xrandr shows the monitor refresh rate set at 60hz (the only option for my laptop lcd).

Is there anything else I can try? I'd like to use ubuntu, not windows...

Thanks but reducing the resolution isn't a road I'd like to go down. When I tried it there everything looked awful anyway. — Kim, Jul 18 '11 at 15:44
It will be hard to answer this question unless you can nail down exactly what in Ubuntu puts train on your eyes. Are you using any special theme, background or other setting? — N.N., Jul 18 '11 at 16:01
Have you tried to adjust the color temperature according to the sun, e.g. with http://packages.ubuntu.com/natty/redshift ? Also you might benefit from being reminded of taking breaks regularly, see http://askubuntu.com/questions/34325/is-there-an-user-activity-monitor-alarm/34331#34331 . — N.N., Jul 18 '11 at 16:06
Yes, I agree it's hard to know, but I'm using just the defaults. I've been trying linux mint too. Same problem, but then i go back to windows and my eyes are fine. — Kim, Jul 18 '11 at 16:10
Have you looked at http://askubuntu.com/questions/897/how-can-i-make-fonts-look-like-they-do-in-windows ? — N.N., Jul 18 '11 at 16:16
@N.N. No, but looks like there some useful information there i can follow up. thanks for the link. — Kim, Jul 18 '11 at 16:20
Regarding the refresh rate: can you see how much it is on windows (if different)? Also on Windows, are you using some 'polishing' tools like ClearType? — Little Jawa, Jul 18 '11 at 16:42
Thx, yes, also 60hz on windows. I do use cleartype on windows, but i've used it without too. In fact, any combination of fonts and rendering is fine with no eyestrain at all on windows. I've had this same issue with ubuntu since 9.10. I try again when the version changes to see if there's any difference... — Kim, Jul 18 '11 at 16:48
Maybe you could try applying theming to Ubuntu to make it look more like Windows. There are plenty of theme packs and the like out there specifically for that purpose. — Knowledge Cube, Jul 18 '11 at 20:12
Yes, it's a novel idea I could perhaps try. However, I suspect there's a more fundamental technical reason. — Kim, Jul 18 '11 at 20:22
Have you resolved your eye-strain issue ? Just to compare your esthesia, I would suggest to try a completely new distribution (for you), for example, Fedora 64-bit or PCLinuxOS. So you'll be able to compare your perception. — Vincenzo, Aug 22 '11 at 07:31
Surprising, how many people are going through this. We really need better sources of information. Intraocular and extraocular muscles get strained and giving them rest is the only way to cure it. See these: https://nav9.medium.com/the-real-cure-for-eye-strain-more-experiences-7f4c1c552d5a — Nav, Apr 17 '21 at 10:23

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 08 '20 at 15:48

Eye strain is caused in most cases, by tiredness of the ocular muscles. There's a lot of hype that has been spread about various kind of screens, eye drops, blue light lenses etc. But I've found that most of that is just marketing hype. The right way to cure the strain is to not try and treat the symptoms. You have to get to the root cause. I've found this article to be rather insightful and sensible. It highlights for the need for following three solutions to get rid of eye strain over a period of many months.

Ensure you get 8 hours uninterrupted sleep each night.
Close your eyes and relax your face muscles and neck muscles for a few minutes after 20 minutes of computer use.
Ensure you get a well balanced diet of properly cooked food. Especially proteins (for the eye muscles).

In terms of software to assist you in doing this, there's Workrave and Redshift.

Good advice :) for the software side, there are a few more apps that can assist you, find a few pointers here: https://github.com/humanetech-community/awesome-humane-tech#health — xeruf, Dec 17 '20 at 09:22

turbo · Answer 2 · 2011-07-18T16:42:53.523

5

If you work at night you can try using redshift. This adjusts the color temperature of your screen so that it get's more redish the later it is. Of course this doesn't really help explain the difference between Windows and Ubuntu but it does reduce stain. Do

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonls/redshift-ppa

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install redshift

to install it. There are other programs that do just the same thing as well.

There's also an older version in the repos so sudo apt-get install redshift will suffice.

edited Jul 18 '11 at 16:42

answered Jul 18 '11 at 16:02

turbo

4,622

1

I use Redshift from the repos http://packages.ubuntu.com/natty/redshift . It's 1.6.1, so is it really necessary to pull it from a PPA? – N.N. Jul 18 '11 at 16:14
no you can of course also just install the package directly. I didn't know it's in the repos – turbo Jul 18 '11 at 16:41

score 2 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:18

For anyone interested this answer might provide solution to eye strain problem on various Linux distro with LCD displays: Laptop screen causes eye strain on all linux distros except Ubuntu and elementary OS

I already found what the problem is. LCD displays uses a frequency known as PWM (Pulse widht modulation). The screen backlight flashes to this frequency, on most monitors is between 200hz - 500hz range.

My Linux distro sets a low PWM frequency by default, that's why all the eyestrain. Luckily Intel gpu drivers can change the PWM frequency.

You need to install intel-gpu-tools

First you need to know your reference clock, this is stored on address 0xC6204. You can read values with the command intel_reg_read, so to read the value you can use the command:

intel_reg_read 0xC6204

Once you know your reference clock you can use the calculator on this page to calculate your desired value. I used 500mhz, so I got 0x7a107a1.

The address for the PWM value is 0xC8254, You can set values with intel_reg_write, so you can use:

intel_reg_write 0xC8254 0x7a107a1

You can see immediately changes. (Sometimes the screen brightness could change, but this is ok, the PWM frequency changes also)

I hope that this info could be helpful to anyone who need it.

Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. — Tim, Aug 26 '14 at 10:17
@Tom, Since the answer was provided on SE I think it is correct to link to the related post. I thought that rule only applied to 'entire articles' on the Internet. — Mariusz Miesiak, Aug 26 '14 at 13:00
Hmm well I would simply copy it as a quote and reference, like I did here: http://askubuntu.com/a/516224/186134 — Tim, Aug 26 '14 at 13:01

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 18 '11 at 18:37

1

It may looks rediculous, but I suggest using sharp fonts. It can be a particular perception of smoothed (read 'fuzzy') fonts by your eyes. You may find instructions of how to install sharp fonts here: Script to install sharp fonts

Good luck and repose for your eyes :)

answered Jul 18 '11 at 18:37

Vincenzo

2,675

Thanks for the interesting suggestion. I tried this, and it does change the font, but now my computer looks like it did when I was using Windows 98. :) Not a good solution because I think the proper Ubuntu fonts look great. Anyway, I've tried so many font combinations now that I think the problem may be nothing to do with the fonts. But i dont' know what else... Oh well, maybe one day I'll be able to use Ubuntu without my eyes hurting... – Kim Jul 18 '11 at 19:51
I tried this approach couple of years ago, and I was using sharp fonts successfully for some time. – Vincenzo Jul 18 '11 at 20:19

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 21 '11 at 21:10

I cannot solve your issue. However, I have a similar problem and knowing about this might help you.

On a HP 2230s laptop (matte display, intel graphics), the screen flickers when using Linux and the display is dimmed. Whether the flickering is noticed depends strongly on colours, green background is horrible. I don't always notice the flicker. Some people never see it.

Using the preinstalled Windows Vista, there is no such flicker. At full brightness, the display is fine for me (with Linux).

This effect does not appear to depend on the Linux distribution or version as long as the brightness control works.

Please, document this issue as good as you can. Contact the manufacturer. File a bug against your distribution. Ask friends to describe the quality of your display.

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Apr 30 '21 at 12:49

0

this functionality has been added for ubuntu 17.10 and later

https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2017/10/enable-night-light-mode-on-ubuntu

answered Apr 30 '21 at 12:49

mr.loop

167

score 0 · Answer 7 · edited Jan 30 '24 at 13:24

0

For Ubuntu and similar Linux distros, I prefer to use a software called safe eyes(https://slgobinath.github.io/SafeEyes/), It compels you to take short breaks at regular intervals and gives useful tips. You have option to skip breaks too, but for your good eyesight I say don't skip and follow the instructions as far as possible. For all currently supported versions of Ubuntu follow these steps. 4 sudo add-apt-repository ppa:slgobinath/safeeyes sudo apt update sudo apt install safeeyes

edited Jan 30 '24 at 13:24

karel

114,770

answered Jan 30 '24 at 06:44

Avin Mathew

103
5

It seems to me that installing the safeeyes Python package securely with pipx would be a more secure solution for Ubuntu 22.04 and later. – karel Jan 30 '24 at 13:26

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Aug 22 '11 at 03:26

Try different font rendering in System>Preferences>Appearance tab Fonts. For the same font, different subpixel hinting can have a huge impact on how the font is percieved. If you have an LCD screen, open Details and try different Hinting to see which works best for you. I like "Slight".

The effect on text in Firefox 3 is different from the effect on the rest of the desktop. Restart Firefox after changing Hinting.

score 0 · Answer 9 · answered Feb 21 '15 at 12:40

I've found that I suffer from this (especially early in the morning or late at night). The solution I used was f.lux by Michael and Lorna Herf included with the f.lux indicator applet by Kilian Valkhof

Installation:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kilian/f.lux
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install fluxgui

Configuration: Launch the f.lux indicator applet and enter your latitude and optionally your longitude. In the U.S.A. you can simply use your zip code.

f.lux

Conclusion:

You'll note that I've chosen to autostart the applet at boot. I've also chosen 2700k as my nighttime color temp as the default was a bit much for my eyes this morning. flux makes the color temperature of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

How can I prevent eyestrain?

9 Answers9