Forgive me for starting this write-up with a personal rant, but one of my recent problems involve serious migraines, especially in the afternoon.

Using a laptop for more than ten hours has been a staple for me since my work heavily depends on it. Initially, I thought the cause for this was the radiation and heat from my laptop, to which my mom would remind me to wear my glasses (despite me wearing them for more than a decade, I tend to take them off when working; and yes, I will change this habit starting today).

Reflecting on this fact, along with attending a recent press conference held by BenQ (a Taiwanese company that markets consumer electronics), I learned more about eye strains and how to prevent it from happening.

Eye Strain and Its Relevance to Flickering Monitors
During a talk with Dr. Jonathan Rivera (an ophthalmologist at University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center), he stressed out some unknown facts about computer usage and how it affects our vision in the long run.

Guest speaker Dr. Jonathan Rivera (UERMMMC) on effects of computer usage on eye health

What most people don’t see with their naked eye is that monitors (CRT monitors and yes, even LCD and LED monitors) have this “flicker” effect. This causes our eye muscles to involuntarily contract repeatedly to be able to adjust to the rapid display changes, something not normally felt by most people, but the effect is cumulative as you use your computer for several hours a day.

Most monitors are similar to the one on the left; they have flickers invisible to the naked eye that causes strain after prolonged staring.

Dr. Rivera introduced “Computer Vision Syndrome” as one of the potential outcomes of prolonged staring in front of computers. I have experienced tired and dry eyes, along with serious headaches for the past weeks, so I think I definitely fell victim to this case as well.

How to Check for Monitor Flickering
If you want to check if your display screen has flickers, you can easily do this by placing a fan in front of it; if you can see something like ripples on your screen, then it flickers. Here’s a comparison image for reference; the left monitor has flickers, while the one on the right (a BenQ monitor) doesn’t.

Another way to check is by turning on your phone’s video camera and pointing it at your computer screen. You will notice that there’s an alternating dimming and brightening interference (in my case, I saw a number of minute rainbow ripples).

BenQ Flicker-free Monitors
Senior Marketing Director Johnson Choi has introduced BenQ’s new product for a less visually strenuous viewing — BenQ Flicker-free LED Monitors. What sets their product apart from the rest is the innovative panel circuit stabling technology. Sounds techy, but in a nutshell this new mechanism adds to BenQ monitors’ LED backlight and power supply which fine-tunes display and makes it more stable, thus relieving eye strain. There’s also a unique de-flickering backlight circuit controller that removes LED backlight flickering from any brightness level. These two features are only found in BenQ monitors so far, and will soon be available in the Philippine consumer market.

Other features of BenQ Flicker-free LED Monitors include the following:

• Reading Mode by Senseye® – adjusts the monitor’s color temperature and brightness levels to simulate the look of a paperback book for a more comfortable reading experience
• Anti-Glare Display – the monitor’s matte-finished screen helps viewers from straining their eyes, especially when the monitor is facing a light source
• Eye-Protect Sensor (selected models only) – detects room’s light levels and adjusts the monitor’s brightness automatically for optimized clarity
• Smart Reminder (selected models only) – gives out a non-intrusive reminder to viewers to rest their eyes in a predefined time interval
• Height Adjustment Stand – allows users to find the best viewing angles with an extensive range of monitor adjustments (height, tilt, pivot, stroke and swivel)
• VA Panel Technology – ultra-high 3000:1 native contrast, true black color, authentic 8-bit color depth and incredibly 178/178 wide-viewing angle

As of writing, BenQ has launched 27”W Flicker-free GW2760HS, and has confirmed to add more products in this lineup as soon as they’re ready for market release. Price for this product is yet to be determined.

BenQ Flicker-free Monitor PR Ad

Photos from BenQ Press Conference (November 5, 2013 at Crowne Plaza, Ortigas)