Monitor Causing Eye strain?

[Krazeee]

Alright so I used to play a lot of ps3 gaming and i still play a bit, i can play ps3 for 6 hours no breaks and my eyes are perfect sometimes get a bit dry, no real eye strain.

On PC, I can play on any settings any game I have a 7870 and i5-3570k. If i even load up a game and get 2 minutes into it then my eyes start to hurt, and I can't even play...

I use the same monitor and i sit the same distance away from the same monitor. It is a 60hz monitor and i play at 60fps and i've tried 30fps, it's just worst.

I Have no clue why this is happening. People say its the 60hz and I've considered getting a 120hz monitor and crossfiring if this will solve the solution to my eye "strain".

Thanks a lot.

I don't know where to post this so sorry if you see it on another section of toms.

 

[bystander]

I have explained this before, I'll explain it again based on my experience and your simple test seemed to confirm this is the same for you.

The problem is not the directly a result of the FPS. FPS plays a big role, but it is a side affect of the FPS that helps cause the issue.

It is the interface and latency that causes issues. The issue for us is called simulator sickness. It is not well known what causes simulator sickness, and it may be caused by different things for different people, but for us, it appears it is latency in conjunction with using a mouse.

This type of simulator sickness is very similar to motion sickness and sea sickness. What causes sea and motion sickness is a disconnect from what you see and what your body is doing. If you look at the boat you are in, you cannot see that you are actually moving up and down with the waves and swells of the ocean. Your body thinks something is wrong, and you get sick. If you watch a fixed point that does not move, like the horizon or land, your mind then sees you are moving up and down, and you don't get sick, or it is at least lessened.

The same type of thing happens when you play with a mouse, only it is latency that causes the issue. When the pointer moves so perfectly with your hand as you move it, your mind expects your view to match your hand movements. When the view is delayed as a result of latency, your mind causes you to have simulator sickness with the same symptoms that motion sickness causes. This does not happen when pressing a button on a controller, it does not happen when pressing a key on a keyboard to turn. It has to be a control that directly connects your movement with your view. It also will not happen watching video, or someone else playing, because there is no delay between your movements and the action for your mind to get confused.

Low FPS causes latency, because what causes low FPS, is an increased time in rendering frames. The higher your FPS, the lower the time it takes to render a frame, and the more instantly the view reacts to your movements with a mouse. Your monitors refresh rate also plays a part in this, because it also delays the time it takes to display a frame. The higher the refresh rate, the faster it displays those images once they've been rendered.

 

[bystander]

Another possible solution is to not play mouse drive games in 1st person or near 1st person. Stick to games that let you turn with a keyboard, of course that isn't as much fun, which is why I use a 120hz monitor and a powerful graphics setup. It sounds like you might have it worse than I. I can actually play about 30-60 mins at 60 FPS before I have to stop, of course at 30 FPS, I have to stop instantly.

 

[manofchalk]

Based on Bystanders explanation, seems that faster peripherals might solve the problem. If your mouse/keyboard/headphones are wireless, getting wired ones will improve input latency a fair bit.
A 120hz monitor may help, but would try the other peripherals first before buying a $400+ monitor.
Increasing the mouse sensitivity or DPI may also help.

Or if its a traditional case of eye strain, there is a company called Gunnar Optiks that have an eyewear range that are oriented toward computer usage. They claim to reduce eye fatigue by filtering the light that comes through them.
Never used them myself, but they get good reviews and a couple of notable Tech people (Linus of NCIX and Linus TechTips) say they work so I'm inclined to think they do.

 

[Krazeee]

@bystander, You've explained something similar to me before and this was much more in depth, I understand more fully what you are saying and it makes sense.

However what I don't understand is why when i play on the ps3 when I move with a joystick then it doesn't hurt, but on the PC it does hurt I've tried using the controller on PC but it doesn't help. I'm on the same Monitor

While I was writing this my eyes feel weird, I think I have some photo phobia... I've turned down the brightness all the way same with contrast, I tried using Flux a software that apparently helps.

I think my problem is that this monitor is just bad and too bright even with everything turned low, I have a glossy Samsung S24B300, It's Glossy...

@Manofchalk, I use a wired keyboard and mouse, i have a high sensitivity on it and well It doesn't really change anything. I've heard of gunnarglasses but... I'll be looking at alternatives before getting another pair of glasses since i already have some.

Thanks guys.

 

[bystander]

If I'm not mistaken, you have a 670, right? Have you tried using "adaptive v-sync (half refresh rate)"? Perhaps you are also sensitive to frame fluctuation. With "adaptive v-sync (half refresh rate)", it will lock you at 30 FPS. This would be terrible on latency, but perhaps for you, the problem is the fluctuation of FPS instead, or maybe the problem is both, in which case SLI and v-sync would be needed.

 

[Krazeee]

If I'm not mistaken, you have a 670, right? Have you tried using "adaptive v-sync (half refresh rate)"? Perhaps you are also sensitive to frame fluctuation. With "adaptive v-sync (half refresh rate)", it will lock you at 30 FPS. This would be terrible on latency, but perhaps for you, the problem is the fluctuation of FPS instead, or maybe the problem is both, in which case SLI and v-sync would be needed.

I have a 7870 😛

I think my issue is the monitor I'm using right now and the glossy part. The screen just hurts my eyes especially the whites on tomshardware arrrrrg. I'll keep trying different things like use my laptop or borrow a friends monitor if i can.

Thanks for the help man, much appreciated.

 

[bystander]

Do you have the latest Beta drivers from AMD? Until the most recent Beta Drivers, AMD cards suffered from a lot of microstutter, and could also be affecting you.

 

[Krazeee]

I'm re installing them to see if it makes a difference, I think it's going to be best if I go for a 120hz matte screen though.