Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

[JM]

Did you use any of the 12s ?

Yes the 12 mini gave me sharp pain in the back of my eyes after like a 30 seconds, I knew really quickly that it wouldn’t work (I’m glad I knew about PWM, because I wouldnt have known what was going on, since I never get eye pain like that or get headaches)

I returned it and got a 11. The 11 gave me a warm sensation in my head, and it gave me a long term dull ache/fatigue/bother (I don’t quite know how to describe it) in my one good eye.

after I got glasses it went away and I could use the 11 as long as I wanted to. I still had the warm feeling every now and then, though; just like how how every once in a while I’ll notice a little dryness hurt in my eyes with the 13mini, but it’s not long term and immediately goes away if I stop looking at the screen. With the 11 the bother would still remain even after looking away from screen, so much so that Hypercondriac me thought I would go blind.

(I think the 11 eye soreness went away because now both my eyes were processing the dithering and not just one so I could handle it much, much better.

 

[happy orchard]

Anyone who has used 12 pro and 13 pro ? Which one was worse ?

12 pro. Significantly worse. The flickering was crazy different filming with slo-mo, so the experiential difference made sense to me.

 

[DJTaurus]

Today I used for 20 minutes each 13 and 13 mini. No issues with mini. With 13 i just got some minor head pain but nothing serious. Side by side with my 11, 13s have both higher brightness, screen is more white/blue (11 more dirty screen effect) and text appears more sharp. I also compared 13s with 12s…… 12s have more of a yellowish effect, more dirty screen and more dim. Still 12s have more brightness than my 11. But i can’t stand 12s….. flickering is so evident…. sth is wrong with those screens. Also 120hz don’t impress me on the 13 pro. I f love the weight and dimensions of 12/13 mini. Apple should be crazy to stop producing it. I am gonna buy 13 mini and see how it goes. 13 has even more brightness than 13 mini. At first use 13s are definitely more easy to my eyes than 11 but i don’t know on the long run where it counts. We shall see….

 

[jimmy_uk]

Still doing okay with the 13 mini after four weeks. The mild eye strain I've almost completely forgotten. Every once in a while I'm reminded, "Oh yeah, it does bother my eyes a little bit." But mostly, I've adjusted. It certainly is better than the 11. (Which sounds ridiculous, but true. I don't get the same kind of long term eye "blindness" or "fatigue" I got with the 11.)

I do miss the wonderful screens of pre-8 days... before they introduced the Wide Color screens.... I suspect that was the start of everything terrible.

That's awesome news. Out of all the iPhones I really like the 13 Mini size, weight and design the most. I wished this phone would have worked for me.

Enjoy your new device, possibly a future classic if Apple retire the Mini next year.

 

[JM]

That's awesome news. Out of all the iPhones I really like the 13 Mini size, weight and design the most. I wished this phone would have worked for me.

Enjoy your new device, possibly a future classic if Apple retire the Mini next year.

Or make the Mini the SE 4th generation. (3rd is looking like the XR size)

 

[karinatwork]

I ordered an iPhone 13 Pro 3 weeks ago. Not going to get delivered for another 3 at least.

 

[now i see it]

My bet (based on historical precedent here in this forum) is you’ll eventually return it. If not, then that’s really great!

 

[5105973]

Wow it's pretty depressing reading of everyone's struggles. I am nursing a migraine that won't respond to pain relievers because I missed my purple 12 mini so I decided to see if I could get used to it again now that I've been off my 13 Pro for a few weeks. Lol, it's worse now.

I've been using my iPhone Xr so at least I have that. The bummer is the modem is pretty blah so call quality isn't the best. The camera is better than I remembered. It's perfectly fine in good lighting. I just do most of my snapping in crappy indoor lighting, unfortunately. The biggest bummer for me is the struggle to stay within the confines of 64 gb storage. I use as few apps as possible and stick to web based interfaces when offered.

I did have a little adjustment and a short period of struggle but then adjusted well to the Pixel 6 Pro. It's been able to take the place of my 13 Pro in a way my Samsung S21 Ultra wasn't quite able to. The camera is fantastic. It's not my first Pixel. I've always liked them and this is one where the hardware finally does justice to the software.

But I'm still stuck on iOS due to a dependence on Apple Maps, iMessage, AirDrop and Sign in with Apple. Oh, and Apple Pay. Eventually I will be able to part with these, but now is not an opportune time to do so.

So I carry the Xr, Apple Watch and the Pixel 6 Pro. I am typing this on my S21 Ultra, which came really close to being my iPhone 13 Pro replacement. But the camera wasn't reliable enough. And there are other small annoyances that the Pixel doesn't have.

I will of course get great pleasure reading all the rumors and news about iPhone 14. But I don't intend to put myself through another experience like I had with the 13 Pro and what it did to me. I count myself very lucky I could afford and use the phones I am using now.

I am kind of interested in getting an iPhone 11 for the opportunity to get 128 gb storage but I'm not keen to push my luck even that far.

When my kids are out of school in a few years it will be less crucial for me to be on iOS. Unless something changes with whatever it is Apple is doing, I'm going to continue on with Android. It's not even a choice anymore. I just can't keep doing this to myself.

 

[Tmacc47]

Wow it's pretty depressing reading of everyone's struggles. I am nursing a migraine that won't respond to pain relievers because I missed my purple 12 mini so I decided to see if I could get used to it again now that I've been off my 13 Pro for a few weeks. Lol, it's worse now.

I've been using my iPhone Xr so at least I have that. The bummer is the modem is pretty blah so call quality isn't the best. The camera is better than I remembered. It's perfectly fine in good lighting. I just do most of my snapping in crappy indoor lighting, unfortunately. The biggest bummer for me is the struggle to stay within the confines of 64 gb storage. I use as few apps as possible and stick to web based interfaces when offered.

I did have a little adjustment and a short period of struggle but then adjusted well to the Pixel 6 Pro. It's been able to take the place of my 13 Pro in a way my Samsung S21 Ultra wasn't quite able to. The camera is fantastic. It's not my first Pixel. I've always liked them and this is one where the hardware finally does justice to the software.

But I'm still stuck on iOS due to a dependence on Apple Maps, iMessage, AirDrop and Sign in with Apple. Oh, and Apple Pay. Eventually I will be able to part with these, but now is not an opportune time to do so.

So I carry the Xr, Apple Watch and the Pixel 6 Pro. I am typing this on my S21 Ultra, which came really close to being my iPhone 13 Pro replacement. But the camera wasn't reliable enough. And there are other small annoyances that the Pixel doesn't have.

I will of course get great pleasure reading all the rumors and news about iPhone 14. But I don't intend to put myself through another experience like I had with the 13 Pro and what it did to me. I count myself very lucky I could afford and use the phones I am using now.

I am kind of interested in getting an iPhone 11 for the opportunity to get 128 gb storage but I'm not keen to push my luck even that far.

When my kids are out of school in a few years it will be less crucial for me to be on iOS. Unless something changes with whatever it is Apple is doing, I'm going to continue on with Android. It's not even a choice anymore. I just can't keep doing this to myself.

I get your concern, but the 11 uses the same exact screen as the XR does. The 11 should do you quite well!

 

[jimmy_uk]

I get your concern, but the 11 uses the same exact screen as the XR does. The 11 should do you quite well!

There is no "exact screen" when it comes to Apple. Manufacturing tolerances are all over the place and they appear to keep tweaking displays/controllers/software every year which has me reading more and more posts from users across the internet who are finding they are having issues with all of the newer Apple displays: LCD or OLED, iPad, iPhone or Mac.

 

[PurpleIsAFruit]

Anyone else having big issues with the 13 Pro screen giving nausea and dizziness? I’ve only had it a day and I’ve not stopped feeling unwell. If I leave the phone alone for a while I start to feel better, then as soon as I start using it again the symptoms come back.

Does this get better with time or should I just return the phone?

 

[Tmacc47]

There is no "exact screen" when it comes to Apple. Manufacturing tolerances are all over the place and they appear to keep tweaking displays/controllers/software every year which has me reading more and more posts from users across the internet who are finding they are having issues with all of the newer Apple displays: LCD or OLED, iPad, iPhone or Mac.

Wow, that's no good. I always heard that LCDs were safe, before. Hope you can find the right fit for you!

 

[JM]

Anyone else having big issues with the 13 Pro screen giving nausea and dizziness? I’ve only had it a day and I’ve not stopped feeling unwell. If I leave the phone alone for a while I start to feel better, then as soon as I start using it again the symptoms come back.

Does this get better with time or should I just return the phone?

Welcome to the “Group”

If you’re having immediate nausea and dizziness, you might not get better with time. More reports on this thread found that it doesn’t improve. There are some that said they adjusted, but I didn’t remember those folks having major issues: they had mild discomfort that they said they powered through (like me. I have mild discomfort with 13 mini and I’ve adjusted after like 2 weeks).

It is up to you if you want to try to see if things improve in two weeks, since there’s the extended return period now (if you bought from Apple), or wherever you bought it from hopefully has at least a two week return window that you could try for a week to see if things improve at all.

Try giving it a few days and see if you still have nausea and dizziness, or, be a self-preservationist and don’t put yourself through the pain.

I wish you the best, it’s not a pleasant issue with the best phones out there.

 

[5105973]

I get your concern, but the 11 uses the same exact screen as the XR does. The 11 should do you quite well!

My concern is exactly as @jimmy_uk articulates. There is so much variance even within the same model. I had an XR when it was originally released and my year on it was very uncomfortable because it was harsh and there was no way to reduce the white point as you can on OLED. Dimming the screen dimmed everything and wasn’t the answer.

Now a few years later I’ve lucked into an Xr with a display that is just perfect. There’s no glare or harshness. It’s good to read on.

I just wish it had 128 gb or more and a Qualcomm modem. But I’m prioritizing the display when it comes to iPhone and have offloaded most other functions to my Pixel 6 Pro, so this is viable. I just have to keep tidying up my storage. I’m aiming to keep it at 27 GB so I don’t get caught out short on storage if I need to make a video or take a lot of photos and don’t have the Pixel on hand.

The Pixel is a bit large so it’s the Xr that’s always with me now, if I’m not comfortable carrying two phones around. I’m still more dependent on iOS than I’d like to be, but the situation is what it is.

I am ever so grateful the Xr camera is far better than I remembered. Sometimes I even prefer it to the more recent iPhone and Android cameras because it’s free of the heavily processed look.

 

[5105973]

Anyone else having big issues with the 13 Pro screen giving nausea and dizziness? I’ve only had it a day and I’ve not stopped feeling unwell. If I leave the phone alone for a while I start to feel better, then as soon as I start using it again the symptoms come back.

Does this get better with time or should I just return the phone?

Oh I am so very sorry to hear this. No this is not a good sign and I’m sorry but I would advise you to return it while you can. I wish I’d had the sense to do that, myself.

Yes I had that exact symptom set. Eventually it morphed into a persistent low grade headache that no pain relievers could banish. I didn’t immediately recognize it as part of my sensitivity to iPhone’s PWM because it was the height of Fall allergy season for me and my other usual allergy symptoms were distracting me.

Also my bad reactions to PWM seem to vary across different phones. Some I can and have overcome. In the case of the 13 Pro it was the second worst outcome for me since my XS Max induced seizures.

I was successfully adjusted to an iPhone 12 mini OLED display and a 12 Pro Max display. The 13 Pro came along to replace the 12 Pro Max (which was plagued with a green display) and then it rendered me unable to use any OLED displays for about a week after I finally quit it. I have since been able to go back to my Samsung S21 Ultra and now a Pixel 6 Pro.

Even when I’ve had bad eye strain on an Android OLED, as I often experienced on my Samsung S7 Edge, I never once had the alarming debilitating symptoms I’ve been subjected to on iPhone OLED displays. I’ve had some crappy cheap butt OLED displays that flickered visibly like the one on my Pixel 2. That one even has a pink stain on the side of the display. It’s awful. But I could safely use it to my heart’s content. It was aesthetically horrible but it didn’t negatively impact my health.

I remain completely frustrated and mystified as to what on earth Apple could be doing differently to make me and so many other people so miserably sick.

This isn’t an Android is better IOS sucks rant. I love iOS devices. I love the ecosystem. I loved the features and looks and just about everything about my beautiful Sierra Blue 13 Pro. I loved my XS Max the week I had it. Except….

Sigh. 😔😢

 

[GlenK]

The 13 Pro in the long run bothered me more than any other iPhone. BUT, it was reversed of what the normal has been. Prior to the 13P I would feel eye strain almost immediately but when I got the headache and stopped using the phones the headache went away in a day or so.

With the 13 Pro, I picked it up Friday about 11am and used it all day Fri, all day Sat with no issues at all. I was so happy thinking I had it made!!! BUT, then on Sunday around mid-day the headache started and got much worse the rest of the day! By Sunday night I knew it was over and stopped using the phone completely. Then it took about 3 weeks for the headache to go away completely. I honestly started to think I had screwed my eyes up permanently!
But fortunately it did finally stop but it went away very gradually. Be very careful with this one!!!!

 

[PurpleIsAFruit]

Welcome to the “Group”

If you’re having immediate nausea and dizziness, you might not get better with time. More reports on this thread found that it doesn’t improve. There are some that said they adjusted, but I didn’t remember those folks having major issues: they had mild discomfort that they said they powered through (like me. I have mild discomfort with 13 mini and I’ve adjusted after like 2 weeks).

It is up to you if you want to try to see if things improve in two weeks, since there’s the extended return period now (if you bought from Apple), or wherever you bought it from hopefully has at least a two week return window that you could try for a week to see if things improve at all.

Try giving it a few days and see if you still have nausea and dizziness, or, be a self-preservationist and don’t put yourself through the pain.

I wish you the best, it’s not a pleasant issue with the best phones out there.

Thanks. Part of me wonders if it will pass, but then the other part of me thinks it's ridiculous I've paid this much money for something that's making me physically unwell, even if only mildly. I'm testing it over the weekend, but currently leaning towards sending it back. Could you look at this short clip I took of the phone to let me know if this happens on every iPhone OLED screen please? I'm guessing these are the things giving me motion sickness and dizziness:

Oh I am so very sorry to hear this. No this is not a good sign and I’m sorry but I would advise you to return it while you can. I wish I’d had the sense to do that, myself.

Yes I had that exact symptom set. Eventually it morphed into a persistent low grade headache that no pain relievers could banish. I didn’t immediately recognize it as part of my sensitivity to iPhone’s PWM because it was the height of Fall allergy season for me and my other usual allergy symptoms were distracting me.

Also my bad reactions to PWM seem to vary across different phones. Some I can and have overcome. In the case of the 13 Pro it was the second worst outcome for me since my XS Max induced seizures.

I was successfully adjusted to an iPhone 12 mini OLED display and a 12 Pro Max display. The 13 Pro came along to replace the 12 Pro Max (which was plagued with a green display) and then it rendered me unable to use any OLED displays for about a week after I finally quit it. I have since been able to go back to my Samsung S21 Ultra and now a Pixel 6 Pro.

Even when I’ve had bad eye strain on an Android OLED, as I often experienced on my Samsung S7 Edge, I never once had the alarming debilitating symptoms I’ve been subjected to on iPhone OLED displays. I’ve had some crappy cheap butt OLED displays that flickered visibly like the one on my Pixel 2. That one even has a pink stain on the side of the display. It’s awful. But I could safely use it to my heart’s content. It was aesthetically horrible but it didn’t negatively impact my health.

I remain completely frustrated and mystified as to what on earth Apple could be doing differently to make me and so many other people so miserably sick.

This isn’t an Android is better IOS sucks rant. I love iOS devices. I love the ecosystem. I loved the features and looks and just about everything about my beautiful Sierra Blue 13 Pro. I loved my XS Max the week I had it. Except….

Sigh. ??

Thank you for your concern. I'm leaning very close to returning it, to be honest. I don't think my symptoms are quite as bad as yours, but I don't think it's acceptable to be having any symptoms from a phone you've paid close to £1000 for.

It's so strange that Apple has stuck with these displays despite so many people reporting issues with them. It doesn't make any sense why the OLEDs on Android phones would be fine while the ones on Apple phones cause these kinds of issues. I'm sorry you've clearly had such a hard time with the OLED displays too. I love the Apple ecosystem too and don't want to get an Android or anything else. But I'm now left with the choice of either trying to stick it out with this phone, going back to my old XR or buying an iPhone 11 which I think is the last phone not to use one of these horrible OLEDs. Am I never going to buy a new model iPhone again?

Could I ask you to take a quick look at the clip I recorded of my phone which I think shows the PWM issue? I don't know if this happens on every iPhone or not, but I'm concerned.

The 13 Pro in the long run bothered me more than any other iPhone. BUT, it was reversed of what the normal has been. Prior to the 13P I would feel eye strain almost immediately but when I got the headache and stopped using the phones the headache went away in a day or so.

With the 13 Pro, I picked it up Friday about 11am and used it all day Fri, all day Sat with no issues at all. I was so happy thinking I had it made!!! BUT, then on Sunday around mid-day the headache started and got much worse the rest of the day! By Sunday night I knew it was over and stopped using the phone completely. Then it took about 3 weeks for the headache to go away completely. I honestly started to think I had screwed my eyes up permanently!
But fortunately it did finally stop but it went away very gradually. Be very careful with this one!!!!

Sorry to hear you've been having troubles too. What you've said is really prompting me to send my iPhone 13 Pro back while I still can.

 

[PwmMen]

Hello,
I can only use one iPhone with OLED, and that is the iPhone 12 Pro. With all other iPhones, I get problems in the form of nausea and eye pain. I actually don't have any problems with the iPhone 12 Pro. I was so disappointed when the iPhone X came out and I felt sick with the display. I was looking forward to the iPhone X so much. Then came the other iPhones that kept giving me hope. Unfortunately I was disappointed every time. Then came the iPhone 12 Pro, which made me feel good for the first time. I'm still happy about that, as I can now use an up-to-date iPhone. Unfortunately, I can't take the iPhone 13 / Pro again. But since I can use an iPhone 12 Pro, my disappointment is not so great. Now I hope that I can take the iPhone 14 Pro better than the iPhone 13 Pro next year.

 

[Cycom]

Interesting thread.

Is the consensus that Apple’s OLEDs cause more issues that Samsung’s?

I’m upgrading next year from a regular iPhone 11 and want to avoid eye strain and headaches.

 

[now i see it]

Is the consensus that Apple’s OLEDs cause more issues that Samsung’s?

I don’t think there’s a clear consensus. There’s plenty of Samsung users complaining about the same thing on Samsung forums.

The only way to find out if an OLED iPhone will thrash your nervous system is to buy one with the clear intent on possibly having to return it within 14 days. If it hurts to use it, get rid of it.

 

[Aquaporin]

Woah! I thought I was going crazy. Watching videos on instagram or tiktok for more than a few minutes in low light settings make me feel a bit between dizzy and nauseous and eye fatigue. I figured it was nothing.

 

[iCantSee]

I just tried out the iPhone 13 Pro Max for a few days. This was the first OLED phone that I tried since I first experienced this issue with the iPhone X (that I subsequently returned for an XR). Unfortunately, I am getting bad headaches and eye strain. I started getting symptoms almost immediately after receiving the phone. However, I had read some posts of some people getting used to the phones over time, so I tried pushing through it for a few days. It only got worse and worse and then I started getting major sensitivity to light in addition to the headaches. I am stopping out and returning the phone tomorrow, as it's not worth the headache (pun intended!).

I have to say this is such an annoying issue. My girlfriend basically doesn't believe me and says I am crazy etc lol. But I literally get symptoms immediately when looking at the phone. When I am using the phone there is something unpleasant about it and my brain doesn't even want to continue to look at the phone.

For you super knowledgeable apple fanboys out there...is there any hope this gets resolved down the line? I am worried that they are just going 100% OLED and eventually there just won't be an option in the future and I'll have to switch to some janky android phone What's the word on the iPhone 14 and those new LTPO displays. Is there any reason to think that those will be better on the eyes? Is there any hope of a setting that turns off PWM?

Thanks

 

[JM]

Thanks. Part of me wonders if it will pass, but then the other part of me thinks it's ridiculous I've paid this much money for something that's making me physically unwell, even if only mildly. I'm testing it over the weekend, but currently leaning towards sending it back. Could you look at this short clip I took of the phone to let me know if this happens on every iPhone OLED screen please? I'm guessing these are the things giving me motion sickness and dizziness:

Thank you for your concern. I'm leaning very close to returning it, to be honest. I don't think my symptoms are quite as bad as yours, but I don't think it's acceptable to be having any symptoms from a phone you've paid close to £1000 for.

It's so strange that Apple has stuck with these displays despite so many people reporting issues with them. It doesn't make any sense why the OLEDs on Android phones would be fine while the ones on Apple phones cause these kinds of issues. I'm sorry you've clearly had such a hard time with the OLED displays too. I love the Apple ecosystem too and don't want to get an Android or anything else. But I'm now left with the choice of either trying to stick it out with this phone, going back to my old XR or buying an iPhone 11 which I think is the last phone not to use one of these horrible OLEDs. Am I never going to buy a new model iPhone again?

Could I ask you to take a quick look at the clip I recorded of my phone which I think shows the PWM issue? I don't know if this happens on every iPhone or not, but I'm concerned.

Sorry to hear you've been having troubles too. What you've said is really prompting me to send my iPhone 13 Pro back while I still can.

yes, that's normal when viewing the OLED screen in slo mo.

What we've found, though, is that the flicker really doesn't matter.... different people react differently and the only real way to know if it bothers you is to buy the phone and try it out.

Sorry about feeling like you have to return it. I went through the same thing last year with the 12 mini: I LOVED that phone and was so excited to have a small phone that didn't have a home button.... (but now I have the 13mini and it's okay for me).

 

[JM]

I just tried out the iPhone 13 Pro Max for a few days. This was the first OLED phone that I tried since I first experienced this issue with the iPhone X (that I subsequently returned for an XR). Unfortunately, I am getting bad headaches and eye strain. I started getting symptoms almost immediately after receiving the phone. However, I had read some posts of some people getting used to the phones over time, so I tried pushing through it for a few days. It only got worse and worse and then I started getting major sensitivity to light in addition to the headaches. I am stopping out and returning the phone tomorrow, as it's not worth the headache (pun intended!).

I have to say this is such an annoying issue. My girlfriend basically doesn't believe me and says I am crazy etc lol. But I literally get symptoms immediately when looking at the phone. When I am using the phone there is something unpleasant about it and my brain doesn't even want to continue to look at the phone.

For you super knowledgeable apple fanboys out there...is there any hope this gets resolved down the line? I am worried that they are just going 100% OLED and eventually there just won't be an option in the future and I'll have to switch to some janky android phone What's the word on the iPhone 14 and those new LTPO displays. Is there any reason to think that those will be better on the eyes? Is there any hope of a setting that turns off PWM?

Thanks

We'll see! There was a lot of buzz around the 13 and its new updated graphics driver on this thread, and how Apple might have FINALLY fixed PWM. But, it wasn't a cure-all, and it seemed they simply tweaked the flicker (from variable, to consistent rate of flicker at all brightness levels.)

Maybe Apple is just experimenting with each phone release to try and finally solve the PWM issue ?‍♂️

 

[now i see it]

There’s nothing currently in the rumor mill suggesting that the iPhone 14 will be anything but business as usual.