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Other Eye-strain while using iPhone X and up

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.

Are you experiencing this issue?

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rsbacon said:
I was experiencing really bad headaches like I've never had before while I was using the X, but didn't connect the dots at the time. I had my eyes checked and the doctor confirmed my eyesight was fine, and suggested that it was perhaps stress related or eye strain from prolonged computer use at work. Solution: over the counter eye drops :(

One day I dropped my X and broke the back glass, so I switched to an old 6S+ (we usually keep one old phone in our house as a spare for when something like this happens) for a couple of weeks. Since it happened right before a work trip, I didn't have the time to get a replacement X right away.

Voila! No headaches during the 2 weeks, with zero lifestyle changes and if anything those weeks were more stressful than usual with the travel and work stuff.

Once I got back home I went to the Apple Store, paid my AppleCare+ deductible, got my replacement and went back to using the X. The headaches returned. I began to doubt if it was my phone, and one day after a particularly nasty headache I googled iPhone X eye strain headaches and learned that PWM may cause headaches in some people. So as a test I switched back and forth from my X and 6S+ over a few weeks, and determined that my eyes were not fatigued nor was I getting headaches when using the 6S+. I used notebookcheck to validate that our OLED TV, external monitor for my Macbook and iPad were all PWM free - I never got these headaches before November 2017, and never while using those devices for extended hours.

So I traded in my X and got an 8 (on IUP so I qualified for an "early" upgrade). I lost money, of course, but it was totally worth it to go back to the 8. I followed the keynote closely and held out hope that the XR wouldn't have this problem because of the LCD, even though some LCDs have PWM. I really did miss Face ID, the edge-to-edge screen and the buttery smooth UI of the X, so I'm now a very happy customer on Friday after picking up the XR.
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing this story. I would bet that there are thousands of current users of Apple X/XS/XS MAX phones that are experiencing occult symptoms of eye strain including headaches unaware of their source - One Infinite Loop.
 
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I recorded a video of Face ID unlock today.
It only used the proximity sensor once unlocked when I checked today. I could not get the flood to light up after it was unlocked as it did a couple of days ago when I last tested. Attention aware features turned off, attention awareness turned on.

This is what it looks like in real time while unlocking for anyone who may be interested. I forgot to record slow motion but I know others have of the X and it's should be pretty much identical.

 
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Seems like we have received mixed responses on here. About half the folks who had issues with the X / XS are still having the eye strain issues with the XR. So FaceID must be the culprit?

The other half are no longer having eye strain on the XR. So must have been the PWM for those folks?
 
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What a mess.
That big round home button embedded in a large bottom bezel is looking pretty good right about now.

iPhone 8 series: The best safest iPhones ever made.
 
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Mackinjosh said:
I gotta echo this. I love the XR, but whatever font they've chosen to use is way too small for me when I use Safari. I have much smaller phones that display content bigger than the XR can and Zoomed mode doesn't help much at all. I'll need to take my XR to a store or visit my sister who has a 7+ and compare how much bigger text is on that. If it's noticeably better, I'll be returning the XR for an 8+. I also hate the pillars that are put on the phone when I watch videos. It makes the screen look tiny, and when I zoom in I lose way too much content.
Click to expand...
iPhone Xr - Display Quality Comparison with Xs, Xs Max and 8 Plus
 
zx128k said:
Hard to say, no real proof in regards to Face ID.

Where as PWM definitely causes problems.
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I thought i read that someone (in this thread) was still having an issue even with XR (reported that has zero PWM)
 
dazz87 said:
I thought i read that someone (in this thread) was still having an issue even with XR (reported that has zero PWM)
Click to expand...

Could of been me? I seem fine during the day but in the evening my eyes find it a bit hard to focus.

But that’s anecdotal though not proof.
 
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kerplunknet said:
I have Face ID and Attention Aware disabled on my iPhone XR and have had zero issues, but I just was playing with the camera (because I wanted to try portrait mode with the blurry background) and as soon as I switched to it I noticed my eyes felt this weird sensation/pressure. I had no idea what it was until about 10 seconds later when I realized what was happening. I won’t be using that feature, but I was a little bit shocked how easily I was able to notice it.
[doublepost=1540764951][/doublepost]
I think this thread has taught me that none of us should be so quick to dismiss others’ issues just because we aren’t experiencing them. Personally, I believe the IR blasters/flood illumination is not good for us.
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Yes that’s the sensation I feel, too. When I mess around with the camera my eyes feel gritty.

When I used to use the iris reader on the Samsung phones I got that feeling and it grew more intense over time and caused a pain line being hit in the eye and left a lingering ache. Got progressively worse with each use so I stopped using iris scanning pretty quickly.

I am using Face ID but not Attention Awareness and I’m also NOT requiring Face ID to see my eyes. I do use Face ID for unlocking forums and services on iCloud Keychain.

I don’t think this beam is as intense as the single concentrated one Samsung uses. I’m not afraid to use it in moderation for now but I want to minimize its use.

So I do wonder what all of the circumstances are in which the flood illuminator activates. I’d like to turn off as many as possible.
 
Deacon-Blues said:
Wait wut? People are having eye strain with the XR now?
Click to expand...

I had the exact same feeling I was having when I was using the X. That made me dig a bit further and I strongly suspect the FaceID.

Covered the notch with black tape (on my X) and my symptoms were gone. The did some experiments with IR and let's I can say I can see why I was getting affected.

Personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
[doublepost=1540835240][/doublepost]
GrumpyMom said:
Yes that’s the sensation I feel, too. When I mess around with the camera my eyes feel gritty.

When I used to use the iris reader on the Samsung phones I got that feeling and it grew more intense over time and caused a pain line being hit in the eye and left a lingering ache. Got progressively worse with each use so I stopped using iris scanning pretty quickly.

I am using Face ID but not Attention Awareness and I’m also NOT requiring Face ID to see my eyes. I do use Face ID for unlocking forums and services on iCloud Keychain.

I don’t think this beam is as intense as the single concentrated one Samsung uses. I’m not afraid to use it in moderation for now but I want to minimize its use.

So I do wonder what all of the circumstances are in which the flood illuminator activates. I’d like to turn off as many as possible.
Click to expand...

My tests using my IR camera suggest that disabling everying (Faceid, attention aware, etc..) will stop the the periodic flood illumination. However I still see it kicking in when you try to unlock your phone. No matter what your setting is.
 
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stafil said:
I had the exact same feeling I was having when I was using the X. That made me dig a bit further and I strongly suspect the FaceID.

Covered the notch with black tape (on my X) and my symptoms were gone. The did some experiments with IR and let's I can say I can see why I was getting affected.

Personal experience. Your mileage may vary.
[doublepost=1540835240][/doublepost]

My tests using my IR camera suggest that disabling everying (Faceid, attention aware, etc..) will stop the the periodic flood illumination. However I still see it kicking in when you try to unlock your phone. No matter what your setting is.
Click to expand...

That is te IR camera.
You also see this on the 7 and 8 etc.
 
Tijdelijk said:
That is te IR camera.
You also see this on the 7 and 8 etc.
Click to expand...

There are three sources of IR light. One is the "proximity sensor". It's on the left bottom and is there in phones before X too. Then it's the flood illuminator. It's on left top. Then the dot-projector. It's on the right. These two are new in X, XS and XR.

My comments above are for the "flood illuminator"
 
rnbarg said:
iPhone Xr - Display Quality Comparison with Xs, Xs Max and 8 Plus
Click to expand...
Coming from a Plus phone (8 plus) which I still have, going to the XR w/it lower resolution text could definitely give me eye strain and headaches, especially given my level of astigmatism and near sightedness. The 8 Plus is great for me with or without glasses.
 
rnbarg said:
Coming from a Plus phone (8 plus) which I still have, going to the XR w/it lower resolution text could definitely give me eye strain and headaches, especially given my level of astigmatism and near sightedness. The 8 Plus is great for me with or without glasses.
Click to expand...

So now we have:

Eyestrain PWM
Eyestrain Face ID
Eyestrain Lower resolution..

What's next.
I have the XR ande 8 plus and I can't see the difference at all.
Even when using glasses both are sharp.
I think we are all losing it here about the new iphones :mad:
 
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I think we need a new poll. Will risk it for a biscuit on a new thread, but I’m sure we will get the “tin foil hat” comments. I’m still waiting on my XR through my corporate company.
 
sddabrow said:
I think we need a new poll. Will risk it for a biscuit on a new thread, but I’m sure we will get the “tin foil hat” comments. I’m still waiting on my XR through my corporate company.
Click to expand...

“tin foil hat”. It’s brutal outside this thread :D
 
stafil said:
“tin foil hat”. It’s brutal outside this thread :D
Click to expand...
It really is. I know how my eyes felt when using the XS Max and no one believed me, aside from this group lol. I just created the poll.. will see how the results go.
 
I have the X since last year. Since the day I got it I turned off True Tone (just didn't care for the piss yellow tone). My eyes were always tired and strained after looking at my phone for long periods of time. This past weekend I decided to give TT a 2nd chance & turn it back on (after a year of it being off) and honestly my eyes no longer feel tired and strained.
 
Just an update: Day 3 of having the notch covered, and no headache no nothing.

People have been calling it "placebo" and "tin-foil", but if you suffer from eye-strain, I suggest you try it and judge for yourself.
 
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