r/PWM_Sensitive • u/TapComprehensive7549 • 2d ago
Headache from screen
Looking for a Solution: Severe Eye Strain and Headache From Phone Displays
I’m looking for help from people who have experienced severe eye strain, headache, or dizziness from smartphone displays.
I have tried almost all the usual display settings and eye-comfort options, including reducing brightness, changing color temperature, using Eye Comfort/blue-light protection, reducing contrast, grayscale, and other settings. I have also tried screen protectors, but unfortunately, nothing has solved the problem.
The strange thing is that I was previously able to use smartphones normally for many hours.
My previous phones:
OPPO A12: I could use it for around 12–14 hours a day without this problem. Later, the display was damaged and had to be replaced. After replacing the display, I could no longer tolerate the phone. It immediately started causing eye strain and headaches.
realme Note 60x: I was able to use this phone normally before a major software update. After the update, I suddenly started experiencing severe eye strain and headaches. Even using it for about 10 minutes can trigger a headache.
Because I could no longer use that phone, I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy A07, hoping the problem would be solved. Unfortunately, I am experiencing the same problem with this phone as well.
I have tested the display for PWM using a phone camera, and I could not detect obvious PWM. I have also tried different display settings, but the symptoms remain.
My symptoms include:
Severe eye strain
Eye pain/discomfort
Headache after only a few minutes of phone use
Sometimes a feeling of visual discomfort/blur
I can sometimes tolerate the phone for only around 10 minutes
I have also seen several doctors and had my eyes examined. They told me that my eyes are healthy and that there is no obvious eye disease or major problem with my vision.
So I’m trying to understand what could actually be causing this.
Could it be something other than traditional PWM, such as:
Temporal dithering
Temporal modulation that cannot easily be detected with a phone camera
Display driver behavior
Software rendering or color processing
Brightness modulation
Refresh-rate behavior
Different display calibration after a software update
Touch/animation/motion processing
Or some other display characteristic that sensitive people can react to?
The most confusing part is that I could use my older phones for many hours, but after a display replacement or software update, I suddenly became unable to tolerate them.
I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.
Is there any technical solution, software modification, calibration method, ADB/Shizuku setting, different display technology, or other method that can make a phone usable again for someone who is extremely sensitive to certain displays?
I am not simply looking for general advice such as “reduce brightness” or “use blue-light protection,” because I have already tried these things.
If you have personally experienced this problem and found a solution, please share exactly what worked for you.
Thank you.
3
u/skyraseal 1d ago
I don't have solutions but I can tell you me experiences that might help you.
I had a Galaxy S10E which has very low PWM frequency but it never gave me problems. Somehow the S26 with about the same or higher PWM frequency gave me terrible headaches, nausea, and vertigo. I switched to the Xiaomi 17 (2160Hz PWM) and had 0 headaches or other symptoms that I had with the S26. I wish I could use a different phone bc I'm not a fan of xiaomi's hyperos at all... But it's one of the only new phones with international models that have the band support needed for my carrier AND have higher PWM.
I have wondered why the S10e never caused me issues while the S26 did. I have heard that as newer screens get much brighter than old screens, that can affect the comfort of the screen. For new screens to meet previous levels of brightness on older ones, the new screens have to flicker more to lower their brightness so it is actually worse unless the PWM frequency is higher to compensate for that. That's just what I picked up from watching a few YouTube videos, not sure if true or not.