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This days, it seems that I either go worse with my eyes or some settings with contrast and brightness have been changed.

However, I have been searching now for some tutorial on how to adjust contrast and brightness, and I have found already some, on how to use Microsoft Win7 Calibrate Display Color program, but some people don't recommend it.

My monitor control menu shows settings (which are by default) that contrast is set to 80, brightness to 90 and sharpnes to 45, for which I believe are quite high.

I'm usually every day in front of my PC about 6-10 hours.

The biggest problem is, when the night comes, and I have to read some Microsoft Word document, after a 10-15 minutes of reading, eyes starts hurting.

I'm using ASUS VW198 and Nvidia 9800 GT graphic card.

So please suggest to me which should I decrease: contrast or brightness or both?

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    This is personal preference, and depends on things like your eyes, your brain, and your environment. There is no one right answer we can give you. Where are you getting stuck while attempting to adjust it?
    – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007
    Commented Nov 12, 2013 at 23:40
  • 1
    Just experiment until it's comfortable. And install f.lux, you'll love it.
    – gronostaj
    Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 1:01
  • its been said that monitor brightness should be as close to ambient light as possible, that way your eyes dont strain adjusting to two sets of brightnesses
    – Keltari
    Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 2:43
  • @techie007 Well it's not that I'm getting stuck, but I'm just not sure to what level I should decrease brightness and contrast, because I have heard stories, that low brightness or contrast, also straining eyes.
    – Johannes
    Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 10:51
  • @gronostaj That sounds good, I will definitely try it, when I catch day when I'm in front of a computer for whole day.
    – Johannes
    Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 10:55

6 Answers 6

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Screen settings are really a personal choice. To be easy on my eyes, I personally use contrast at 75 to 80% and luminosity at 20 to 25%.

This break colors, but I find this easier on the eyes. Keeping your work room well lighted is also helpful.

You can use F.lux as said by others to further reduce the screen aggressivity.

On Mac OS X, there is Shades that artificially darken the screen, but I found it more bothering than helpful.

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You should check out a free program called f.lux: https://justgetflux.com/

You can set it up to dim the screen brightness (automatically or by pressing: Alt + Page Down) and make it more yellow (non-blue) and therefore easy on your eyes :-)

You can also set it up according to your location, so when the sun goes down, flux adjusts your monitor so it's easier on the eyes. It also makes you more tired than having your monitor beaming light to your face just before bedtime... Which for most, including myself is bad for when you want to sleep.

Try flux, it's one of my favorite must-have free programs for PC :) And I think it works for Mac and Linux as well ;-)

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Realistically, you're going to need something to calibrate your screens that isn't susceptible to trickery like your eyes are.

I use ColorVision-Spyder2 for my non color critical work. Your monitor can drift over time, mine do, but having an instrument that can get it back to a "zero" position is very useful, and they're pretty cheap (~50$).

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I found a good. practical guide here, hope it helps anyone looking for similar stuff:

Adjust The Brightness And Contrast On Your Monitor For Healthy Eyes http://www.clickonf5.org/3846/adjust-brightness-contrast-monitor/

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The factory defaults on most monitors are meant to grab your attention on the store shelf, and are universally poor at accurate color reproduction.

I've found this Web page to be helpful in doing the most basic setup, which will get you about 80% of the way to a good monitor calibration:

http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/gamma_calibration.php

If you want to get more precise than this, you will probably need a colorimeter and supporting calibration software. Unless you're doing professional graphical production work, this is probably an unnecessary extravagance.

The biggest problem is, when the night comes, and I have to read some word document, after a 10-15m of reading, eyes starts hurting.

I have a similar issue. I find having some ambient light in the room -- say, from a low-wattage desk lamp -- helps enormously.

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I didn't like software solutions 'cos (if I recall from ones I tried) when you close the software, or restart and the software hasn't yet loaded, then the brightness BOOMS bright

Also, with software.. I tried dimmer and flux.. If I recall from when I tried them, they didn't dim the taskbar, though was a while back. A thing over the screen that dims the light is far more reliable.

Your problem is more at night you say, so it's the brightness of the screen really. Rather than contrast.

You can increase the light in your room during the night, and another thing you can do though is get a Vinyl sheet and even, specifically, a neutral density film, like from here
http://solargraphicshome.com/Neutral_Density_Film.html

Here is an example of one, perhaps not placed completely against the screen but, an example. Half on the screen, Half off the screen, so you see the difference

enter image description here

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  • "Your problem is more at night you say, so it's the brightness of the screen really. Rather than contrast." Yes, and what a biggest problem is, I got used to work with lights off in the room. But could you tell, I have brightness set on 90 and contrast 80, down to what level you would decrease, what should be higher and what lower (so that I can after adjust to my preferences), if I buy and low-wattage desk lamp ? I have heard stories, that low brightness or contrast, also straining eyes..
    – Johannes
    Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 11:17
  • @Johannes well, contrast can mean contrast in foreground and background colors, like whether it's white text on black background or black text on white background. I think that's what I had in mind when I said it's the brightness rather than the contrast. As for the monitor settings for brightness and contrast.. yeah i'd turn down contrast if it seems to reduce brightness. My laptop only has a brightness option.. And it doesn't go dark enough, that is why I got the vinyl sheet.
    – barlop
    Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 12:17
  • @Johannes If you feel your eyes strain too much to read it, then turn the brightness up a bit on the screen, if it's then too much brightness, then turn the brightness in the room up. That is what i've done just now.. I have a light in my room with a thing that I turn to adjust the light. You can get an electrician to change your light switch to one of those turning ones. Or just turn the lights on at night. No need necessarily to sit in the dark with a desk lamp. I turn the light control in my room.
    – barlop
    Commented Nov 13, 2013 at 12:19

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