Headaches with new monitors

[Kurp]

I purchased a cheap 23" HP TN monitor awhile back that I wanted to use for a mobile console monitor, use for a second PC for classwork, and possibly a cheap TV screen if I needed it. After an hour or two of use, I'd develop a severe headache with sharp and throbbing pains. It was hard to even look at it after awhile. I had to sell it.

More recently, I purchased a Dell U2311H monitor with an IPS screen. The same thing seems to be happening, although it's not as bad. After an hour or two I start to get a headache and after a few more it gets much more pronounced. It starts in the top-front of my head and eventually my temple area and even cheeks are affected. Also, my vision suffers. After four or five hours of using the screen it becomes annoying to drive a car. It's difficult to explain those effects, but it seems like I have trouble focusing on objects as quickly as I normally could.

I'm not sure what the problem is. I've used the same Dell 2007WFP IPS for years now without issue. I also go to class or work and stare at monitors all day without any problems. The only thing I can think of is that the new monitors may have simply had too strong CCFL backlights, since the monitors I normally work with have been in use for hundreds or thousands of hours.

Has anyone suffered similar effects? Or does have an idea of why this is occurring?

I really need a second monitor at home and for the time being I'm using my plasma TV. That's not something that I was to continue doing for much longer.

Any insight or advice would be great. I know there are some people here that know there stuff when it comes to displays. I'd love to hear any options that people can come up with.

[SephYuyX]

Had that issue when I bought my new monitor some years back. Youre just not used to it's factory settings. Play around with the brightness, contrast and color, and that should fix it.

[Kurp]

I have changed the setings. Even when greatly lowering the brightness down to 20 or less and with a reduced contrast, the same problems occur. I could set the brightness at 0 and contrast at sub 50 and it won't make much of a difference at all.

[Deadgye]

How is the lighting in your room? If your room isn't as bright as your monitor you're going to strain yourself trying to use it.

[fishstix]

what about tinkering with the refresh rate?

[Boyiee]

How are they positioned from where you are sitting. Maybe they are on too much of an angle or too close, not the right height.

[Not Kuno]

Sounds like a refresh rate problem to me. Match that with what you had and it might help a lot.

[Kurp]

I've tried different things with lighting. It's the same with full room lights on as it is in the dark. I've also tried to place lighting behind my screens including normal light bulbs, 'daylight' bulbs, and 6500k fluorescent bulbs.

The are positioned like most other monitors are. They don't seem to far away or too close to me. I'm going to try to move the new monitor a little closer or a little away to see if that makes a difference.

The refresh rate for both the U2311H and the 2007WFP are at 60hz. I'm not even sure if I can change them. I don't have the U2311H connected at the moment, but if I try to change the refresh rate of the 2007WFP to 75hz, it changes the resolution to 1280x1024. The only other option I have for it through CCC is 59hz, which does something similar.

[Ghostsix.Midgard]

Had a similar problem with a 1 year old monitor.. Turns out something upped the refresh rate last week without me knowing and I started getting those headaches.
Back to 60hz and no problems now.

[Mayareira]

Most likely a refresh rate problem. Careful with brightness and in room lighting too, bump up brightness only if your room is well lit and use low brightness in low light conditions. People tend to do the mistake of jacking brightness up in dark which is tiring for your eyes.