Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

[ghanwani]

What laptop are you using which is EyeSafe certified?

Dynabook Portege X40L.

Portégé X40L Laptops | X Series Laptop | Thin and Light Laptops

Explore Dynabook's innovative laptop computers, notebooks, netbooks and PC accessories. Find the best fit for your home or business with reviews, features, research, information and deals at us.dynabook.com.

us.dynabook.com

 

[Heman87]

What laptop are you using which is EyeSafe certified?

Microsoft surface laptop from 2023 13 inch

 

[ghanwani]

Microsoft surface laptop from 2023 13 inch

I don't think it's Eyesafe certified. It is also has a screen that is unusable for me. Someone speculated that they too have implemented temporal dithering.

 

[Heman87]

I don't think it's Eyesafe certified. It is also has a screen that is unusable for me. Someone speculated that they too have implemented temporal dithering.

It’s isn’t official eyesafe certified. But I don’t trust that anyways. I ordered 2 monitored with flicker free and low blue light certification from Samsung and Dell. They both gave me eyestrain on my left eye. I also tried a iPad Pro 11 inch that gave me also eyestrain on my left eye. And I can’t use any oled iPhones. So I’m pretty sensitive. This laptop doesn’t bother me at all

 

[PwmMen]

Now I became curious and unpacked the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
At first glance it feels just like the Plus. I have no problems.
So these are both the first iPhones after the iPhone 12 Pro where I didn't notice anything at first.
I can only recommend everyone to try out the new iPhones.

EDIT:

Now after an hour the Pro Max is uncomfortable.
The iPhone 16 Plus is still perfect. So I clearly recommend the iPhone 16/Plus.

 

[Heman87]

Now I became curious and unpacked the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
At first glance it feels just like the Plus. I have no problems.
So these are both the first iPhones after the iPhone 12 Pro where I didn't notice anything at first.
I can only recommend everyone to try out the new iPhones.

EDIT:

Now after an hour the Pro Max is uncomfortable.
The iPhone 16 Plus is still perfect. So I clearly recommend the iPhone 16/Plus.

Thank you. In a hour my wife will receive her 16p. I will try her phone first out. It will probably a bad phone for me. I will share my experience later. I can choose a new phone for work. I might try the regular 16 based on your experience and the test results earlier. And if it’s good I’ll keep it. If it’s just “ok” I might use it for simple things and a larger device for media consumption.

 

[gigapocket1]

Probably will be returning my pro max.. definitely uncomfortable compared to the 15pro max…
Reduce white point at 100, max brightness, True Tone off..

What I feel is hard is to focus at the screen and potentially the glare. I bought a screen protector for it and the glare is crazy.. I wonder if that could be affecting me as well… had no screen protector on 15

 

[jimmy_uk]

Update from me - Day two:

I used the iPhone 16 Pro Max on and off throughout the afternoon and evening yesterday. By the end of the day, my eyes felt a bit heavy, but it was Friday, and after staring at a computer screen all week for work, I was naturally tired. However, I woke up this morning with no eye strain or headache—oh, happy days!

That said, I still feel that the Pro Max is larger than I’d prefer, and the screen has a slightly yellowish, gloomy tint compared to my preference for cooler whites. This might just be due to the OLED display. Because of this, I decided to set up the iPhone 16 Plus, which I also purchased, hoping it might have a cooler screen and lighter weight. However, within 10 minutes of using it, I began to feel those familiar, warm, spiky waves across my head and brain. My left eye also struggled to focus due to the bright glare that I’ve experienced with other OLED devices in the past. I immediately stopped using the 16 Plus to avoid triggering a headache.

My plan now is to stick with the 16 Pro Max for the rest of the weekend and see how I feel by Monday.

When I ordered it, I did consider swerving the Pro Max in favour of the Pro, but I succumbed to the "gotta have the biggest and best" mindset. This lingering doubt is somewhat spoiling my experience. I should be grateful that the Pro Max I received is not only a perfect build (no weird gaps, glue issues, sharp edges, or lifted sections of glass) but that, for the first time in many years, I can actually use a flagship iPhone.

Am I just suffering from modern-day FOMO? I’m sure I can get used to the size and weight of the Pro Max, but every time I think, "Damn, this thing is annoyingly big," I fear I’ll regret my £1,200 purchase once I’m outside the return window. Of course, I could return it and wait for a Pro to come back in stock, but there’s a significant risk that it might not work for me, or I could end up with a less-than-perfect build.

I know it seems strange for me to say this, given my long history of suffering from PWM and dithering issues with iPhones and iPads. It's hard to believe, especially when I see others still struggling with the iPhone 16 series. I suppose I should consider myself very fortunate to have won the screen lottery (so far). I'm just being honest with myself and the forum. After so many years, now that I’ve reached this point, it feels like I’ve moved past it. I’m still not a fan of OLED, and as I’ve got older, my phone usage has changed. The Pro Max now feels overly indulgent as a tool.

 

[DJTaurus]

Update from me - Day two:

I used the iPhone 16 Pro Max on and off throughout the afternoon and evening yesterday. By the end of the day, my eyes felt a bit heavy, but it was Friday, and after staring at a computer screen all week for work, I was naturally tired. However, I woke up this morning with no eye strain or headache—oh, happy days!

That said, I still feel that the Pro Max is larger than I’d prefer, and the screen has a slightly yellowish, gloomy tint compared to my preference for cooler whites. This might just be due to the OLED display. Because of this, I decided to set up the iPhone 16 Plus, which I also purchased, hoping it might have a cooler screen and lighter weight. However, within 10 minutes of using it, I began to feel those familiar, warm, spiky waves across my head and brain. My left eye also struggled to focus due to the bright glare that I’ve experienced with other OLED devices in the past. I immediately stopped using the 16 Plus to avoid triggering a headache.

My plan now is to stick with the 16 Pro Max for the rest of the weekend and see how I feel by Monday.

When I ordered it, I did consider swerving the Pro Max in favour of the Pro, but I succumbed to the "gotta have the biggest and best" mindset. This lingering doubt is somewhat spoiling my experience. I should be grateful that the Pro Max I received is not only a perfect build (no weird gaps, glue issues, sharp edges, or lifted sections of glass) but that, for the first time in many years, I can actually use a flagship iPhone.

Am I just suffering from modern-day FOMO? I’m sure I can get used to the size and weight of the Pro Max, but every time I think, "Damn, this thing is annoyingly big," I fear I’ll regret my £1,200 purchase once I’m outside the return window. Of course, I could return it and wait for a Pro to come back in stock, but there’s a significant risk that it might not work for me, or I could end up with a less-than-perfect build.

I realise it's quite strange for me to say this, given that I've been a long-term sufferer of PWM and dithering issues with iPhones and iPads. It's hard to believe, especially when I see that others are still struggling with the iPhone 16 series. I should consider myself very lucky to have won the screen lottery (so far). I'm just being honest with myself and the forum. It's been so many years, now I'm here I feel like I'm over it. I'm not a fan of OLED at all, and I guess being older, my phone usage has changed. The Pro Max feels overly indulgent as tool.

Which eye settings have you turned on ?

 

[jimmy_uk]

Which eye settings have you turned on ?

• Reduce motion.
• Limit frame rate (60hz).
• Dark mode off.
• True Tone off.
• 50% and above brightness.
• Face ID: Attention-Aware Features off.

This is how I use my iPhone 11. The 60Hz refresh rate is fine for me; 120Hz feels almost like a drug—it looks too good, and my eyes stay intensely focused when I scroll. With 60Hz, my eyes naturally unfocus slightly while scrolling, helping me avoid the blur I can't read.

I’ve noticed something strange, especially on this forum: occasionally, straight lines and text appear to bend or tilt to the right when the screen is static in portrait mode. It’s a bizarre optical illusion—or perhaps it's due to my rugby ball-shaped eyeballs? It’s a bit like the “jelly scroll” effect, but without the scrolling.

The usual OLED colour shift is also present. My screen tends to look yellow/red, but with a slight tilt forward, it shifts to blue/green. On the larger Pro Max screen, it’s less noticeable because there’s so much screen to take in, so I’m less focused on the edges and tilts.

The iPhone 16 Plus did feel better in my hand, even though the size difference is only a few millimetres. The camera module really adds weight to the Pro models. The text on the 16 Plus also felt a bit sharper, which I’ve noticed before on previous iPhones—it seems to depend on the screen calibration and the colour cast you get. I suspect my Pro Max has a Samsung display, as they tend to favour the yellow/red cast.

 

[now i see it]

I could end up with a less-than-perfect build.

I say definitely keep this iPhone. Don’t swap it for anything else.
You’ve been wanting a “flagship” iPhone for years that you could use — and now you’ve got one.
Yes there’s a screen lottery. Even if you returned the 16PM you’ve got and got another identical one, there’s a chance that you would be bothered by it.
Same story for swapping your ProMax for a smaller Pro. It could be a dud and you would have lost the one iPhone that works for you.

None of theses iPhones are going to be perfect. Too big, too small, tinted display, too heavy, headache inducing.
I say - if you’ve found a new OLED iPhone that doesn’t nail you. KEEP IT.
You’ll get used to it’s bigger size.

 

[DJTaurus]

• Reduce motion.
• Limit frame rate (60hz).
• Dark mode off.
• True Tone off.
• 50% and above brightness.
• Face ID: Attention-Aware Features off.

This is how I use my iPhone 11. The 60Hz refresh rate is fine for me; 120Hz feels almost like a drug—it looks too good, and my eyes stay intensely focused when I scroll. With 60Hz, my eyes naturally unfocus slightly while scrolling, helping me avoid the blur I can't read.

I’ve noticed something strange, especially on this forum: occasionally, straight lines and text appear to bend or tilt to the right when the screen is static in portrait mode. It’s a bizarre optical illusion—or perhaps it's due to my rugby ball-shaped eyeballs? It’s a bit like the “jelly scroll” effect, but without the scrolling.

The usual OLED colour shift is also present. My screen tends to look yellow/red, but with a slight tilt forward, it shifts to blue/green. On the larger Pro Max screen, it’s less noticeable because there’s so much screen to take in, so I’m less focused on the edges and tilts.

The iPhone 16 Plus did feel better in my hand, even though the size difference is only a few millimetres. The camera module really adds weight to the Pro models. The text on the 16 Plus also felt a bit sharper, which I’ve noticed before on previous iPhones—it seems to depend on the screen calibration and the colour cast you get. I suspect my Pro Max has a Samsung display, as they tend to favour the yellow/red cast.

Please keep us updated the following days.

 

[theanimaster]

Strange that some people are experiencing strain from higher refresh rates. The opposite is usually true. I’m having problems at work because of ****** low-refresh rate monitors — essentially the lower the refresh rate, the slower it “blinks”. This is an oversimplification, yes, but that’s essentially what causes most problems. The higher you go, the less likely your brain is going to pick up that “blinking”.

But I won’t question anyone who has the reverse problem — coz I am at that end of the stick where idiots are screwing up my ADA request (I’ve had this going since April 2024 and it’s now September — almost October) — because they are either clueless, incompetent, or criminally negligent. If it’s the latter, I will not hesitate to file an ADA complaint — but as it is… I think they’re just incompetent. I’ve seen how people work in our company. The bandaid solution I have currently at least allows me to function marginally.

 

[jrajpaul]

Update from me - Day two:

I used the iPhone 16 Pro Max on and off throughout the afternoon and evening yesterday. By the end of the day, my eyes felt a bit heavy, but it was Friday, and after staring at a computer screen all week for work, I was naturally tired. However, I woke up this morning with no eye strain or headache—oh, happy days!

That’s great. I used the pro max briefly on the store and didn’t feel the usual nausea. I then tried the 16 plus and drove back home. On my way home, I noticed a bit of vertigo and neck pain. I’m not sure if it was the regular 16 plus. I think if you’ve found an oled iPhone that works for you, hold onto it with your dear life. I once used an iPhone X for 3 years with minimal issues. My problems started with the 12 pro onwards. I’m going to give the 16 pro max a second try tomorrow and isolate if this is the one for me.

 

[jimmy_uk]

Strange that some people are experiencing strain from higher refresh rates. The opposite is usually true. I’m having problems at work because of ****** low-refresh rate monitors — essentially the lower the refresh rate, the slower it “blinks”. This is an oversimplification, yes, but that’s essentially what causes most problems. The higher you go, the less likely your brain is going to pick up that “blinking”.

But I won’t question anyone who has the reverse problem — coz I am at that end of the stick where idiots are screwing up my ADA request (I’ve had this going since April 2024 and it’s now September — almost October) — because they are either clueless, incompetent, or criminally negligent. If it’s the latter, I will not hesitate to file an ADA complaint — but as it is… I think they’re just incompetent. I’ve seen how people work in our company. The bandaid solution I have currently at least allows me to function marginally.

Sorry to hear of your issue. Dealing with employers is hard because they just see it as you wanting special treatment (and it's going to cost them money).

I had an issue with my employer when they switched out our ceiling lights from tubes to LED. I immediately felt eye strain and extreme fatigue. If you film the lights with slow mo you can see they flashed like a disco light. They are also too white and they fitted too many units. Also, every room in our offices has a wall of windows so there is so much light.

Having to explain the issue with many different departments just had them looking at me like I was talking penguin. They where not prepared to change them: "we don't see the lights flashing, what are you talking about"? The only compromise was to reduce the number of lights in my room and I built a black, wooden screen shade with upright visors around my monitors so I don't directly see the ceiling light units in my eye line. I also have two lamps either side of my setup to give me warmer, pooled lighting. The shade and lamps came out of my pocket. The ignorance to the issue in the workplace is flabbergasting.

 

[gigapocket1]

Got lucky, local store had the exact same 16 pro max come available that I bought yesterday. (Wasn’t available earlier this morning). Ordered it for pickup later today.. Going to give my eyes a rest and give it a try in the morning and just hope maybe i hit the display lottery.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

It has been an exciting several days reading everyones' experiences thus far. I am on the fence with trying the 16 series vs just sticking with this particular 15PM which is the first OLED Ive been able to tolerate. The bummer is that for me, I can go literally 3 weeks without noticing anything and then out of nowhere, I will have several days where the back and sides of my neck are incredibly tight/aches and intermittent eye strain. After 3-5 days, it subsides again. That adds a complexity to my situation because even after 2 months of little to no issue, it still emerged. Kinda makes that 2 week window less telling in my case.

Best of luck to everyone! In my case, I am too accustomed to this phone after 6 months to consider going back to my 11. I make due with a combination of my watch, phone, MacBook, and workstations. The 16 series didnt bring anything that compels me to make the jump from the 15 PM except the idea of even more comfort. Everyone is different, I get that, but having said that it has been what, 7 or 8 years of this ish? If you find a phone that may not be perfect, but can get you through the day, give it hard consideration. At least I would say try not to nitpick the **** out of it because these days, counting on the elusive phone that checks every box is more a pipe dream it seems.

 

[gigapocket1]

It has been an exciting several days reading everyones' experiences thus far. I am on the fence with trying the 16 series vs just sticking with this particular 15PM which is the first OLED Ive been able to tolerate. The bummer is that for me, I can go literally 3 weeks without noticing anything and then out of nowhere, I will have several days where the back and sides of my neck are incredibly tight/aches and intermittent eye strain. After 3-5 days, it subsides again. That adds a complexity to my situation because even after 2 months of little to no issue, it still emerged. Kinda makes that 2 week window less telling in my case.

Best of luck to everyone! In my case, I am too accustomed to this phone after 6 months to consider going back to my 11. I make do with a combination of my watch, phone, MacBook, and workstations. The 16 series didnt bring anything that compels me to make the jump from the 15 PM except the idea of even more comfort. Everyone is different, I get that, but having said that it has been what, 7 or 8 years of this ish? If you find a phone that may not be perfect, but can get you through the day, give it hard consideration. At least I would say try not to nitpick the **** out of it because these days, counting on the elusive phone that checks every box is more a pipe dream it seems.

Just an idea, if in a couple of weeks you still have the itch to upgrade. Wait on the holiday return policy.. You can get almost 3 months try it out.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

Sorry to hear of your issue. Dealing with employers is hard because they just see it as you wanting special treatment (and it's going to cost them money).

I had an issue with my employer when they switched out our ceiling lights from tubes to LED. I immediately felt eye strain and extreme fatigue. If you film the lights with slow mo you can see they flashed like a disco light. They are also too white and they fitted too many units. Also, every room in our offices has a wall of windows so there is so much light.

Having to explain the issue with many different departments just had them looking at me like I was talking penguin. They where not prepared to change them: "we don't see the lights flashing, what are you talking about"? The only compromise was to reduce the number of lights in my room and I built a black, wooden screen shade with upright visors around my monitors so I don't directly see the ceiling light units in my eye line. I also have two lamps either side of my setup to give me warmer, pooled lighting. The shade and lamps came out of my pocket. The ignorance to the issue in the workplace is flabbergasting.

When I still was going into the office my coworker has a very similar situation. The lights above her desk were inducing migraines. Ultimately they disabled the lights above her desk and she sat in pretty much a dark environment but it helped her. Interestingly enough, she can use any OLED iPhone without issue.

 

[The.Glorious.Son]

Just an idea, if in a couple of weeks you still have the itch to upgrade. Wait on the holiday return policy.. You can get almost 3 months try it out.

Excellent idea yes! I utilized it for the 13 and 14 series hoping it was maybe more anxiety of being stuck with a $1300+ phone I couldn't use. I thought maybe with more time and less pressure, I would find that symptoms eased. That wasn't the case with the 13 or 14 series for me unfortunately. Last Sept - March this year I tried all four 15 models and the 15PM was always the most tolerable. But by the end of the return window, it got bad and I returned it the last day eligible. Fast forward to March, I picked up my 5th 15PM (I wanted the camera for vacations and figured hey, if Apple and it's Trillions doesn't care about my eyes, then I will rent a phone as needed). This time, I actually missed the return window and low-and-behold was fine for months! Then it happened lol. More than anyone ever cared to know haha but it is just frustrating that even after several months of little issue, it can sneak on me.

 

[Skwermo]

My experience: I couldn’t use the 14 pro because it gave me nausea. Which I have never had until then and haven’t had since. I am never car sick or anything like it. So this was very strange!
15 pro gave me burning eyes sensation and headache symptoms the following day.
I received the 16 pro yesterday morning and ….. nothing…. No symptoms whatsoever. Looking at the screen feels “normal”. I cannot quite believe it after years of suffering.
I hope this motivates a few of you to try for yourselves and hopefully you will have the same experience.
Good luck everyone

 

[DJTaurus]

Anyone Chinese in here?

 

[MrGarak]

I picked up a 16 yesterday. It seems a little better then the 15 when I tried it last year but for me, it's not there yet.

But honestly, because I don't care too much about the camera, my 11 is very very similar for what I do. Too similar to put up with eye strain and pwm issues. Next year I'm hoping we get some eye-care attention...but I've been saying that for a while now.

 

[Populus]

I’ve been trying the iPhone 16 a bit more in the Apple Store and… definitely feels better than the 13 or 14. Maybe even better than 15, I didn’t try them much.

The iPhone 16 is so comfortable that I’m seriously considering getting one this holidays and give it a try. But still, too big of a smartphone for me.

If you are interested in the flickering and PWM, here’s a video I recorded using an app that allows me to control the recording frequency. It seems this year the frequency of the PWM is higher.

 

[now i see it]

here’s a video I recorded

Everything in that video is flickering including the background image.