Headaches on previously fine monitor. VG248QE

[Cvdasfg]

Hey everyone, so I'm out of ideas. Hoping someone here can shed some thoughts on this.

 

I would play video games on my VG248QE monitors without issues as a kid. Now, as I've grown older for a period of about two years, I didn't play anything, and I worked on an iMac Pro and Macbook Pro screen for work. 

 

Now, for the past couple months, every time I've tried to go back and play games on my other monitors, I get terrible headaches. I've tried switching main monitors (I have three of the same one), I've tried using a Pavilion 23bw monitor, which had the same effect. Does anyone have any suggestions on why this could be happening and what I can do about it?

 

The only theory I've had so far is that I'm used to the color accuracy of the mac displays, and the other monitors cause my eyes to hurt?

 

I'm fine with buying a new monitor if that's what it takes. I just want to be able to relax and play games again.

 

Thanks in advance

 

I have a 1070ti if that makes a difference for suggestions.

[Bombastinator]

31 minutes ago, Cvdasfg said:

Hey everyone, so I'm out of ideas. Hoping someone here can shed some thoughts on this.

 

I would play video games on my VG248QE monitors without issues as a kid. Now, as I've grown older for a period of about two years, I didn't play anything, and I worked on an iMac Pro and Macbook Pro screen for work. 

 

Now, for the past couple months, every time I've tried to go back and play games on my other monitors, I get terrible headaches. I've tried switching main monitors (I have three of the same one), I've tried using a Pavilion 23bw monitor, which had the same effect. Does anyone have any suggestions on why this could be happening and what I can do about it?

 

The only theory I've had so far is that I'm used to the color accuracy of the mac displays, and the other monitors cause my eyes to hurt?

 

I'm fine with buying a new monitor if that's what it takes. I just want to be able to relax and play games again.

 

Thanks in advance

 

I have a 1070ti if that makes a difference for suggestions.

Are the headaches centered in the muscles of your eyes?  If so that’s a focus issue not a color issue.  It could be a focus thing, a refresh rate thing, or something else.  It could even be the atmosphere of the room you are in (in which case it’s not your eyes that are giving you the headaches.

[tikker]

Is there a difference in distance to the display when using your mac and when gaming? It may simply be your eyesight deteriorating. If your eyes have to work too hard to focus it can cause headaches. Visiting an optician/ophthalmologist to get your eyesight measured never hurts. Since you use your eyeballs every day you personally won't really notice when it deteriorates until you get a glimpse of how it should be.

[Cvdasfg]

38 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Are the headaches centered in the muscles of your eyes?  If so that’s a focus issue not a color issue.  It could be a focus thing, a refresh rate thing, or something else.  It could even be the atmosphere of the room you are in (in which case it’s not your eyes that are giving you the headaches.

 

I'm not sure how to tell if it's in the center but definitely starts in the eyes. It begins by my eyes feeling very fatigued and tired and quickly turns into a full blown migraine. I do notice if I stop before it turns into a bad headache then they feel worse when looking around. 

 

32 minutes ago, tikker said:

Is there a difference in distance to the display when using your mac and when gaming? It may simply be your eyesight deteriorating. If your eyes have to work too hard to focus it can cause headaches. Visiting an optician/ophthalmologist to get your eyesight measured never hurts. Since you use your eyeballs every day you personally won't really notice when it deteriorates until you get a glimpse of how it should be.

I've certainly thought of visiting a eye doctor, just dreading the lovely American priced healthcare. 

As far as viewing distance they are roughly the same. I do notice that if I sit a bit further back when gaming it lessens the eye soreness. However, for most games that doesn't work if I'm reading something etc. I'm sitting about two arm lengths away. 

[tikker]

1 hour ago, Cvdasfg said:

I've certainly thought of visiting a eye doctor, just dreading the lovely American priced healthcare. 

As far as viewing distance they are roughly the same. I do notice that if I sit a bit further back when gaming it lessens the eye soreness. However, for most games that doesn't work if I'm reading something etc. I'm sitting about two arm lengths away. 

Maybe you're developing some far-sightedness. Your eyes will then have to work harder to focus nearby things. You might find yourself squinting as well to help it further (pinhole camera effect). Is just getting a measurement also expensive in the US? I'm biased as a non-US citizen of course, but while going to an ophthalmologist costs a few tens, here you can typically walk into any optician's shop and get your peepers measured for free (basic measurement at least, I don't think the fancy eyeball pressure stuff and such is free).

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, Cvdasfg said:

 

I'm not sure how to tell if it's in the center but definitely starts in the eyes. It begins by my eyes feeling very fatigued and tired and quickly turns into a full blown migraine. I do notice if I stop before it turns into a bad headache then they feel worse when looking around. 

 

I've certainly thought of visiting a eye doctor, just dreading the lovely American priced healthcare. 

As far as viewing distance they are roughly the same. I do notice that if I sit a bit further back when gaming it lessens the eye soreness. However, for most games that doesn't work if I'm reading something etc. I'm sitting about two arm lengths away. 

I’m liking @tikker’s suggestion of seeing a medical professional .  Headaches are medical and it could be a lot of things.  

[Bombastinator]

30 minutes ago, tikker said:

Maybe you're developing some far-sightedness. Your eyes will then have to work harder to focus nearby things. You might find yourself squinting as well to help it further (pinhole camera effect). Is just getting a measurement also expensive in the US? I'm biased as a non-US citizen of course, but while going to an ophthalmologist costs a few tens, here you can typically walk into any optician's shop and get your peepers measured for free (basic measurement at least, I don't think the fancy eyeball pressure stuff and such is free).

Eye exams are fairly cheap as medical exams go.  Sometimes they’re even insured.  They’re often done at glasses repair places.  Should be under a hundred bucks even without insurance.

[Cvdasfg]

41 minutes ago, tikker said:

Maybe you're developing some far-sightedness. Your eyes will then have to work harder to focus nearby things. You might find yourself squinting as well to help it further (pinhole camera effect). Is just getting a measurement also expensive in the US? I'm biased as a non-US citizen of course, but while going to an ophthalmologist costs a few tens, here you can typically walk into any optician's shop and get your peepers measured for free (basic measurement at least, I don't think the fancy eyeball pressure stuff and such is free).

Honestly your probably right. I'm not sure why this never occurred to me. As far as cost I don't have much to go off of aside from my wife who spends thousands annually . Either way, if that fixes the issue it'd be worth it.

21 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Eye exams are fairly cheap as medical exams go.  Sometimes they’re even insured.  They’re often done at glasses repair places.  Should be under a hundred bucks even without insurance.

Fingers crossed this is right  

22 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

I’m liking @tikker’s suggestion of seeing a medical professional .  Headaches are medical and it could be a lot of things.  

Honestly never thought of headaches being a medical thing. I've always gone at it from the side of cause and effect. Either way, I think I'll be seeing a medical pro soon

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

[Morrie Sells Wigs]

23 hours ago, Cvdasfg said:

Hey everyone, so I'm out of ideas. Hoping someone here can shed some thoughts on this.

 

I would play video games on my VG248QE monitors without issues as a kid. Now, as I've grown older for a period of about two years, I didn't play anything, and I worked on an iMac Pro and Macbook Pro screen for work. 

 

Now, for the past couple months, every time I've tried to go back and play games on my other monitors, I get terrible headaches. I've tried switching main monitors (I have three of the same one), I've tried using a Pavilion 23bw monitor, which had the same effect. Does anyone have any suggestions on why this could be happening and what I can do about it?

 

The only theory I've had so far is that I'm used to the color accuracy of the mac displays, and the other monitors cause my eyes to hurt?

 

I'm fine with buying a new monitor if that's what it takes. I just want to be able to relax and play games again.

 

Thanks in advance

 

I have a 1070ti if that makes a difference for suggestions.

I got a similar feeling, like eye strain and headaches, after going back and playing Warzone on ps5 using my 4k60hz monitor.

 

I think it was the incredibly narrow f.o.v relative to the pc version I'd been playing on.

 

It literally gave me blurring vision...something I'd never experienced before up to that point. 

 

I had to stop playing after 10 minutes as it wasn't enjoyable. 

 

Out of interest, is it any particular type of game, or just all games in general?

 

How close do you sit to the screen?

 

Do you play at night in the dark?

 

Just asking as often these things, which we have done for years with no problems, can start to cause issues even though we don't think they have any reason to...if I'm making sense?

[rijzen]

On 1/5/2022 at 1:50 PM, Cvdasfg said:

Hey everyone, so I'm out of ideas. Hoping someone here can shed some thoughts on this.

 

I would play video games on my VG248QE monitors without issues as a kid. Now, as I've grown older for a period of about two years, I didn't play anything, and I worked on an iMac Pro and Macbook Pro screen for work. 

 

Now, for the past couple months, every time I've tried to go back and play games on my other monitors, I get terrible headaches. I've tried switching main monitors (I have three of the same one), I've tried using a Pavilion 23bw monitor, which had the same effect. Does anyone have any suggestions on why this could be happening and what I can do about it?

 

The only theory I've had so far is that I'm used to the color accuracy of the mac displays, and the other monitors cause my eyes to hurt?

 

I'm fine with buying a new monitor if that's what it takes. I just want to be able to relax and play games again.

 

Thanks in advance

 

I have a 1070ti if that makes a difference for suggestions.

I used to have that monitor and had a similar issue , turned out to be the PWM backlight giving me migraines. I turned it to 100% brightness to help alleviate it but ended up just getting a newer non PWM monitor and poof headaches gone.

[Montana One-Six]

Does it only happen while gaming or is it also happening when not gaming?

 

On 1/5/2022 at 9:06 PM, Cvdasfg said:

I'm sitting about two arm lengths away. 

Two arm lengths away on a 24 inch monitor? If I take my arm as reference that would be 2 meters away which is kinda far imo.

 

13 hours ago, rijzen said:

I used to have that monitor and had a similar issue , turned out to be the PWM backlight giving me migraines. I turned it to 100% brightness to help alleviate it but ended up just getting a newer non PWM monitor and poof headaches gone.

Been using the same monitor for about 6 years now. Haven't experienced anything like it.

[Cvdasfg]

On 1/6/2022 at 12:50 PM, Maury Sells Wigs said:

I got a similar feeling, like eye strain and headaches, after going back and playing Warzone on ps5 using my 4k60hz monitor.

 

I think it was the incredibly narrow f.o.v relative to the pc version I'd been playing on.

 

It literally gave me blurring vision...something I'd never experienced before up to that point. 

 

I had to stop playing after 10 minutes as it wasn't enjoyable. 

 

Out of interest, is it any particular type of game, or just all games in general?

 

How close do you sit to the screen?

 

Do you play at night in the dark?

 

Just asking as often these things, which we have done for years with no problems, can start to cause issues even though we don't think they have any reason to...if I'm making sense?

All games including console / pc games. 

 

About two arm lengths away

 

I do play at night, however I have overhead lights so it's essentially daytime in there. I've tried during the day and have the same reaction.

On 1/7/2022 at 9:11 PM, rijzen said:

I used to have that monitor and had a similar issue , turned out to be the PWM backlight giving me migraines. I turned it to 100% brightness to help alleviate it but ended up just getting a newer non PWM monitor and poof headaches gone.

It's happened with so many monitors thought, it's just odd. This whole situation baffles me.

On 1/8/2022 at 10:18 AM, Montana16 said:

Does it only happen while gaming or is it also happening when not gaming?

 

Two arm lengths away on a 24 inch monitor? If I take my arm as reference that would be 2 meters away which is kinda far imo.

 

Been using the same monitor for about 6 years now. Haven't experienced anything like it.

Anywhere between 1.5-2.5 arm lengths away. For pc games it's about one and a half. For console I lean back in my chair and it ends up being 2-2.5 arm lengths away. It does seem worse when playing pc games.

[Stahlmann]

I also get really motion sick when playing games with low FOV or with a permanently shaking camera. Games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Hellblade: Senuas Sacrafice are completely unplayable for me because of this. I get sick and my head hurts within minutes. I stopped playing Hellblade after an hour and never touched it again. I have not felt as sick in years, even when being ill for real. Doesn't matter if i sit right in front of it or back on the couch. That's why i'm extra mad if newer games have no FOV slider or the option to disable camera shaking. It basically means i cannot play it for extended periods of time. Somehow you just have to try to narrow it down to what causes your problems. Then you can look for solutions. There are many things that can cause motion sickness or headaches.

[Montana One-Six]

28 minutes ago, Stahlmann said:

I also get really motion sick when playing games with low FOV or with a permanently shaking camera. Games like Rise of the Tomb Raider and Hellblade: Senuas Sacrafice are completely unplayable for me because of this. I get sick and my head hurts within minutes. I stopped playing Hellblade after an hour and never touched it again. I have not felt as sick in years, even when being ill for real. Doesn't matter if i sit right in front of it or back on the couch. That's why i'm extra mad if newer games have no FOV slider or the option to disable camera shaking. It basically means i cannot play it for extended periods of time. Somehow you just have to try to narrow it down to what causes your problems. Then you can look for solutions. There are many things that can cause motion sickness or headaches.

Yeah motion sickness comes in very different shapes and forms. For me it starts with feeling hot to the point where it feels like I have to strip naked (usually in the first 10 minutes) if I continue past that I get headaches. The feeling hot thing is kinda practical cuz it is like an early warning. If I stop playing those symptoms disappear after about an hour. So far I haven't found any trigger that consistently across multiple games makes me feel motion sick. For me it's not FOV or camera shake. I can play first person with low FOV without getting sick (in games like R6 Siege or Call of Duty) and also play games with camera shake  like the newer Tomb Raider games without any problems. The only games I constantly get sick while playing have been Bethesda games especially Fallout (3, NV, 4) and Skyrim. In those games I cannot play first person at all no matter the FOV. With higher FOV it just takes longer until I get sick. The only way I can play these games is in third person with an FOV of 90 or higher (if I lower the FOV under 90 I also get sick).

 

16 hours ago, Cvdasfg said:

It does seem worse when playing pc games.

So even if you are just surfing the web you get headaches?

Does every game affect you the same way or are some games worse than others?