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eye strain from digital screens and artificial lights

I’ve got a really strange problem with my eyesight. It’s hard to describe it, so i will try as best as I can, to introduce my issue. There are some electronic devices which screens hurt my eyes. When I’m starring on some screens for more than 5-10 minutes I’m starting to feel confused, it’s also hard for me to mentally focus on anything, I’m starting to have a headache, my heart stars to beat faster than normally and my body temperature increases. There are some screens that didn’t cause any symptoms no matter for how long I using it. From my observations, when I’m staring on the screen that causes problems, I have problems to focus my eyes on the screen it’s especially visible when I’m trying to read text. It’s all began around March last year, when I bought new PC and 25” monitor to it (I used only notebooks earlier, one with TFT LCD LED backlit panel and one with IPS panel (Macbook Pro 2015), which was completely harmless for me and my eyesight). Really quickly after turning on my new PC I realized that something was wrong. I thought it could be problem with monitor, so I returned it and change for different producer, which didn’t make any difference, because my eyes was still fatiguing really quick. I was trying to get used to it, thinking that it could be a problem with just a bigger size of a screen, hoping that problem pass over time. Unfortunately that didn’t happened. I’ve returned second monitor to change it for another one, and another, and another, which led me to the fact that I tested 7 different monitors and symptoms were the same. It’s no matter if i use TFT, CCFL, LED, IPS monitor, it’s also makes no difference how I connected them (VGA, HDMI, DISPLAY PORT or DVI). Over the time when I’m trying to find a solution I’ve realized that the problem is caused not by the display of the device itself, but comes from the software. Any software updates of my main computer (Macbook Pro 2015 - which was previously harmless for my eyes) started to causes the same problem as monitors. I’ve also realized when I’m downgrade the system software of MacBook Pro 2015 to the older one the problem completely disappear. The same thing was with my iPhone 6s and Playstation 4. Problem also appears on some of really old computers. I tried with changing contrast, brightness, frequency of refresh rate, distance of viewing, lighting, also tried monitors without pwm (without flickering) and it’s still not the case, I won’t be able to find any pattern. After about a year of looking for a solution I found only one clue, I’m not 100% sure that it’s exactly this, but it’s mostly reminds my problem and it’s straight connected with my complaints. I found it on a site about Computer Vision Syndrome:


"Difficult To Focus On Pixels
Reading on a computer screen is not natural for our eyes.
In contrast to fine prints which have solid black characters with well-defined edges, characters and images on the monitor is made up of tiny dots (pixels).
This dots are highest in density at the center and diminish towards their edges.
As a result, your eyes cannot maintain focus on them and keep drifting into a reduced level of focusing called “resting point of accommodation”, also known as RPA.
But to keep the image sharp, your eyes will strain to regain focus again.
This continuous cycle of involuntary retreating and refocusing adds stress to the eyes’ focusing muscles, causing them to fatigue and result in eye strain."


The only difference is that my symptoms starts not after long hours spent in front of computer screen but starts almost immediately and not with all kind of screens/devices.
When all of those things began I’ve also started to be hypersensitive to some kind of artificial light. There are some bulbs that hurting my eyes in the same way as computer devices screens, and some are’t. It’s impossible to clearly tell if the problematic are LED bulbs or halogen kind or tungsten light bulbs, or even warm, neutral or cold color temperature bulbs, I’ve experimented with almost everything and still don’t have a clear answer.

I’ve been consulted by 7 different eye doctors and 2 neurologist who couldn’t resolve the problem. They claim that I’m fully healthy and in great condition or even better. All of eye doctors diagnosis that my eyes are in great physically condition and after all they couldn’t find any reason of my issues. I regret to tell that in Poland it’s hard to find any high class specialist so after all that it’s hard to believe if their diagnosis is right, especially when I’m still experiencing those complaints.

I’m 28 years old, 185cm height, 82kg weight, good stamina, on a healthy diet, lead a healthy lifestyle, never needed to have glasses. My eyesight in natural conditions is and was always in perfect condition.

Please help somehow, I will be very grateful for any advice and help
1 Responses
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233488 tn?1310693103
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I can't tell you the cause of the problem or the cure.  The most common causes of this would be:  1. uncorrected refractive error  2. dry eyes  3. eye muscle problem called convergence insufficiency.      Since you have seen 7 "eye doctors" and 2 neurologists it is highly unlikely its anything serious.  If you want to continue looking for causes/help  I would suggest you see an eye MD ophthalmologist that specializes in eye muscles (strabismus and often called 'pediatric" ophthalmologists because most of these problems occur in kids. )  Take in your medical records from the 9 doctors you've seen. Be sure you meet with the eye MD ophthalmologist before any drops put in your eye.
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4 Comments
Thank you very much for your response, I really appreciate your effort. I’ll try to exclude the causes you suggested. I would also like to ask you if you do not think that one of the reasons of my symptoms could be Lyme disease?
Thank you very much for your response, I really appreciate your effort. I’ll try to exclude causes you suggested. I would also like to ask if maybe one of the reasons of my strange symptoms could be Lyme disease? What do you think about it?
Thank you very much for your response, I really appreciate your effort. I’ll try to exclude causes you suggested. I would also like to ask if maybe one of the reasons of my strange symptoms could be Lyme disease? What do you think about it?
Not at all likely.  You would have had to have exposure to the Lyme agent. Most people have other symptoms that are much more severe.
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