Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Monitors again: LCD, CRT, WTH?

One thing about monitors that I only learned recently is the difference in eye strain between LCD and CRT monitors. (LCDs are the cool flat-panel monitors while CRTs are the traditional heavy monitors with the gigantic ass.)

All my life I've used CRTs because they are cheaper. I'd used LCD monitors, and they were neat, but I never used them enough to notice any difference in terms of how my eyes were reacting to them. On some days when I took fewer breaks from computing, I would develop headaches. Closing my eyes would make me immediately feel better, but I had to keep working.

One day they hired a new web developer at the office. We got to talking about monitors and he was saying that he only uses LCDs, and since he started working here he's been going home with headaches because they only have CRTs here. I wasn't sure if he was exaggerating or not, but it might explain my own headaches.

Soon after that we were sent to a training facility to learn some new software they were going to have us use. That whole week we worked on LCD monitors. We stared at those screens all day that whole week and I never once developed a headache. This confirmed for me that what my coworker was telling me was true.

I learned that the biggest difference between the two types of monitors (besides the obvious size difference) is that CRTs flicker while LCDs don't. You can set the refresh rate on CRT monitors to improve things, but even if the flickering is imperceptible to you consciously, your eye still perceives it. LCDs don't have this problem, which allows you to stare at it for longer periods of time without becoming fatigued.

This doesn't mean you don't need to take breaks. You really should, every half an hour if you can. But LCD monitors will really help reduce any eye strain you might be experiencing. They cost more, but I think they're worth it if you spend lots of time in front of it. And who couldn't use the extra desk space?

6 comments:

Geeky Dragon Girl said...

That's a great link, thanks for sharing it! If you don't spend hours on end in front of the monitor, it may not be worth it to switch. I had my employer get me an LCD monitor at the office, but my home computer still uses CRT because I can't afford the upgrade yet.

Maggie said...

Okay - completely off topic but I got a question.

How the hell does Body Mass Index work and how do you figure it out?!?!~

Glamorous Redneck said...

I noticed the difference as soon as we got our flat panels here at work. I haven't had an eye strain headache in a year. Also, I didn't have to have my prescription on my glasses upped this year either, which is a first since I got them. I don't know if the two are connected or not, but it seems like it would be.

Big D said...

LCDs are cheaper these days and all new Dells come with them. Your company should switch, but it took me 2 years to convince out GM and I’m in charge of the computer equipment.

The Radical Notion said...

I just popped in to Battle of the Blogs and here you are. I'm voting for you!

Geeky Dragon Girl said...

Maggie, great question! I think I'll tackle that one next.

Glamorous Redneck, I think they are connected. Constant eye strain fatigues the muscles in your eyes, which are responsible for focusing your sight. I'm glad your company decided to make the switch.

Big D, yes they've come down a lot in price, thank goodness.

Hey T, thanks for the vote. I won, woohoo!