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I have found that a monitor light bar is excellent for reducing eye-strain in a dark room where the monitor is the only light source. BenQ makes the OG [1] but

I have found that a monitor light bar is excellent for reducing eye-strain in a dark room where the monitor is the only light source. BenQ makes the OG [1] but there are knockoffs available on Amazon that are decent. For daytime, facing a window while using a monitor is a major source of strain. This, of course, is a common post-pandemic arrangement as Team/Zoom calls look best with natural light on your face, but it's not doing your eyes any favours. The reason being that natural light intensity changes by multiple orders of magnitude, between sunny and overcast. Since the monitor stays at a constant brightness, your eyes have to work hard to keep the monitor at a constant perceptive brightness against a widely varying background, invariably causing strain over the course of the day. [1] https://www.benq.com/en-ca/lighting/monitor-light.html https://www.benq.com/en-ca/lighting/monitor-light.html

jader201 3y ago
> I have found that a monitor light bar is excellent for reducing eye-strain in a dark room where the monitor is the only light source. Genuine question: why not just turn your lights on? It seems like this is effectively making your wall brighter, which turning on your lights will have the same effect.
- asynchronous 3y ago
  Could also turn on lights but depending on the situation the monitor light is a more ideal amount.
- glitchc 3y ago
  The original monitor light doesn't make the wall brighter (the Halo edition is a relatively new offering). Rather it provides a smooth intensity gradient on the work surface directly in front of and underneath the monitor. This smooth gradient is very effective at reducing eyestrain. Unless the room lights are specifically designed for optimal lighting of the workspace, they cannot achieve the same effect. In typical homes, the room light is either a single ceiling fixture or lamps (one or more), spread throughout.
nottorp 3y ago
Of course, the manufacturers could stop competing on brightness instead. Fat chance, they just introduced the HDR thing. The one thing I miss from CRTs is being able to turn the brightness way way down at night and still have good contrast. At least for text.

jader201 3y ago

> I have found that a monitor light bar is excellent for reducing eye-strain in a dark room where the monitor is the only light source. Genuine question: why not just turn your lights on? It seems like this is effectively making your wall brighter, which turning on your lights will have the same effect.

asynchronous 3y ago
Could also turn on lights but depending on the situation the monitor light is a more ideal amount.
glitchc 3y ago
The original monitor light doesn't make the wall brighter (the Halo edition is a relatively new offering). Rather it provides a smooth intensity gradient on the work surface directly in front of and underneath the monitor. This smooth gradient is very effective at reducing eyestrain. Unless the room lights are specifically designed for optimal lighting of the workspace, they cannot achieve the same effect. In typical homes, the room light is either a single ceiling fixture or lamps (one or more), spread throughout.

nottorp 3y ago

Of course, the manufacturers could stop competing on brightness instead. Fat chance, they just introduced the HDR thing. The one thing I miss from CRTs is being able to turn the brightness way way down at night and still have good contrast. At least for text.