eye strain

[CNeub]

hello,

I have a Notebook with Intel Core i7 4710 - Intel Graphics 4600 and external Nvidia Gforce GTX 850M for about 2 weeks now. I connect the Notebook on two different places per HDMI with nearly three year old lg monitors. With my old Notebook (Intel Core2Duo and Nvidia Gforce 9500GT) I had not any problems with this two monitors. However when I connect one of the two monitors with my new Notebook I get eye strain and headache. Of course I use the right resolution FullHD and tried out different brigthness and contrast adjustments in intel graphic properties. OS is Windows 7 Prof x64 and the newest drivers are installed. Version:15.33.22.64.3621

Nearly two months ago I purchased an other Notebook with Intel Core i7 4700MQ - Intel Graphics 4600 and Nvidia Gforce GT755 M. I had the same problem there and so I sent it back, because I thought that the Notebook has an defect. I tried out Windows 7 and Windows 8 and had the same eye problems in the two different OS.Now I do not really know what the problem exactly is, because I have these problems with two different Notebooks on two different external LG Monitors and the integrated Displays of the Notebooks. But I thinkt the problem is the Intel HD 4600. Maybe that there is something wrong with the driver.Do you have any ideas about this? Couse I can't purchase and send back new Notebooks all the time.

Sorry for my bad english

[CNeub]

hey kevinc1

thanks for joining this thread. I conform with you that maybe much more than just 5% of people are suffering from the eystrain problem. I hope that intel is forcing a solution if more and more people are joining the thread.

[EstebanA_C_Intel]

Hello, All:

This is currently being reviewed for sure.

As of now it would be to keep checking for possible fixes or workaround to be provided, and for sure, test the steps provided by Ronald_Intel

Regards,

Esteban C

[DShor]

I found a workaround for my Dell Studio 1555's Intel GMA4500 eyestrain problem. I turned on high contrast (Shift-Alt-PrtSc) a few weeks ago and am no longer experiencing eyestrain. The Intel driver is 8.15.10.1808 dated 6/3/2009.

Has anyone with much newer Intel graphics than my 2009 laptop tried turning on high contrast as a workaround?

[EstebanA_C_Intel]

Thank you for your input on this DShorr, it will help some users with a system like yours for sure.

Regards,

Esteban C

[CNeub]

A long time ago since the last post. Is there any progress going on? Please don't "forget" the problem.

[RonaldM_Intel]

Hi Lucio,

Sorry for not updating this post in a long time. Internally we are still working on identifying the root cause for this problem.. the hardest part is being able to reproduce the eye strain issue here in our test benches.

On the side, I have been investigating the eye strain occurrences, and I found that monitor manufacturers actually sell displays with "Flicker free" technology. This is advertised as it should prevent eye strain on certain people. A couple of examples:

http://ap.viewsonic.com/my/products/lcd/flicker-free/

http://www.asus.com/Microsite/2015/display/eye_care_technology/

I added a couple of links, from different manufacturers (we don't really favor any brand over another) with more information on this subject.

NOTE: These links (external links) are being offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel of the content, products, or services offered there.

Please, do not read what I just said as Intel dodging a bullet, rather just a simple informative piece. I still believe we need to evaluate our current drivers to make sure we are doing everything we can to help all of you with this issue.

As soon as we have a more significant update we'll update this thread. Once again, thank you for your patience.

[SMohd2]

Hi @Ronald_Intel

You have not been able to reproduce the issue at your test benches yet? I am guessing any modern laptop with the latest intel graphics driver will cause eye strain. But the only way to know for sure is that you have someone within your team over there who also suffer eye strain like we do. Only then can you verify that a particular laptop configuration and graphics driver do cause eye strain or not.

Do you have someone in your team that suffers eye strain from graphic cards like us?

To recreate the issue, couldn't Intel purchase any of the laptop that some of us here has mentioned (with the exact specification/configuration) and install the intel graphics driver that is causing us problems? But I guess you would not know for sure unless one of us or someone who suffers from the eye strain has tested/used the laptop and verified that it does cause eye strain.

I would like to give you my laptop, but this is my office laptop, so it is not mine to give. If you cannot recreate the issue on your lab, not sure how a solution can be found. I'm thinking, what if I purchase a second hand laptop, or I purchase a new cheap/budget laptop, I make sure that laptop is causing me eye strain (due to intel graphics driver), then I ship that laptop to you...would that work? At least you will have a laptop that someone who suffers from the eye strain has verified that is does indeed cause eye strain. And you can investigate from there.

[SMohd2]

Regarding the flickering display, yes, that is definitely a source of eye strain. That's why it is important to identify and separate the 2 sources of eye strain. In my earlier posts, I highlighted that my laptop, which is Lenovo T420s do have flickering that is caused by pulse width modulation (PWM), which does cause eye strain, but this issue has been resolved through a workaround solution of putting the brightness to 100%, and using software to reduce the brightness, which eliminates the flickering.

I got no eye strain using this laptop using this way, hence why I know for sure that PWM is not the source of the eye strain that I am having. I was happily using this laptop for more than a year without any eye strain. It was only when I upgraded the intel graphics driver that I got eye strain. When I uninstalled the driver and use back the old 2011 driver, no more eye strain. That's how I know for sure it is intel graphics driver that is causing the eye strain, because that is the only thing that was changed/upgraded.

[RonaldM_Intel]

Thanks for your offer Kray_62, but the last thing we want to do is translating the effort of fixing this issue to our customers. Obviously having this issue open for so long is not the best thing for all of you either, but please give us more time to investigate this from our end.

Edit: fixed spelling error.

[KShan2]

Please, for god sake, somebody fix this issue. PLEASE!

I experience heavy eyestrain within minutes of looking at my notebook screen. I could work on my desktop, which does not have an Intel HD graphics card, all day and have no problem whatsoever. I tried connecting my desktop monitor to my notebook, and again all I get is eyestrain and headache. I made my friends use my notebook, and not one of them said that they did not feel eyestrain.

I tried disabling the Intel HD 4600 driver all together on my notebook and voila... no eyestrain whatsoever. I couldn't believe my notebook screen could look this beautiful, crisp and clear, and I was so happy that I felt like planting wet kisses (with loud smooching sound) all over it. But, the problem is I can't keep using my notebook this way with Intel HD disabled and VGA driver active, because most of the time I need to do graphic intensive work, and disabling Intel HD also disables my discrete Nvidia card.

Please, do something about it. It has messed up my vision beyond repair. I so regret buying Intel.

Somebody asked if anyone would like to submit their hardware. Yes, I am willing to. I hate this notebook so much that I'll punch and smash it someday anyway.

[PRome1]

@Ronald_Intel, I'd asked before... where is the office located where this is all being tested? I am in Northern Colorado, and if you are close by, I could come and be a test case for which drivers cause eyestrain and which don't.

[RonaldM_Intel]

Hi PeterJohn,

We truly appreciate your willingness to help. This issue is being tested in our Folsom facilities.

Kindest Regards,

[PRome1]

I see. Would you be open to bringing in someone, from this forum or from elsewhere, who is close by your facility and who is experiencing the problem, to help test?

[RMart22]

I have an Intel Graphics HD (Driver: 8.15.10.2622 Date:10-01-2012) and I also have serious eye strain problems after only looking at the computer for a few minutes.

I have tried to use the computer on safe mode and, altough it seem to improve somewhat at first, I still feel eyestrain after some time of using it. I have also tried different resolutions and the two available frame rates (60 and 75), with no singificant change.

First Question:

Is using the computer on safe mode the same as uninstalling the driver? It's my understanding that in both cases the driver being used is the VGA standard. is this correct?

Second Question:

As of now, I am looking to bypass the whole problem by using an external video card (it's a computer at work). Anyone here knows of some widely available, cheap external video cards that don't cause such problem? From what I understand, there are many types of video cards (the actual process by which the image is formed) and it makes sense to look for one that doesn't share the characteristics as the current one. I have a laptop at home with a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 video card and have no problems with it.If I do go with an external driver, how would the drivers work in that case? Do we install new drivers with the purchased external video card?

I don't know if this information helps, for those of you trying to understand the underlying explanation, but I have had even more severe eye problems with a different computer (Gateway AK Model MATXHRN NM2). In this case I would have a burning sensation in my eyelids after merely seconds of looking at the screen. I would have to struggle to look at the screen for several minutes (which I had too, since I was at work). I went to a doctor and he diagnose me with having inflammation in my eyes with an allergy component to it.

An interesting fact I found at this time was that when I was on Propranolol (beta blocker) I had no such symptoms whatsoever.It actually made a difference whether I had the drug on my system or not. I tested it on a pill or no pill basis, and I could not feel a thing in the hours I was under the effect of this drug. The only mechanism that I know of and that seems to be relevant to explain cause-effect in this case is the dilation of capillaries in the eyes. I guess this effect, however miniscule it may be, is enough to make the eyes "normal" by the standards of people who have no such problem. Maybe the people here who have experienced this problems are among the people who tend to have more restrcited capillaries, or maybe it's people with some pre-condition involving eye inflammation.

Sorry for my bad English. It's a second language.

Any information on external video cards will be greatly appreciated. I am desperate for some solution in the near future, as this problem is affecting my health in multiple ways.

[DKour]

Ronald_Intel are you also making the drivers for OSX? I have a MacBook Pro (I think it's the 2012 model or something like that). I have gotten rid of my Toshiba, on which I first encountered the eye strain problem. (By the way I gave that to a friend telling him I can no longer use it myself. He tried it out and called me to tell me that it actually caused him severe nausea). In any case, back to my MacBook Pro. I set up Windows 10 on it with boot camp and it downloaded an Intel HD driver. It is not quite as bad as my Toshiba was but still, it is too bright even at the lowest brightness level and it still strains my eyes quite a bit. On the other hand, on the very same machine, when I boot into OSX I do not seem to be having this problem. The brightness can be regulated to just the right level and I don't get eye strain. So I was wondering, in the event that you are producing the driver for both operating systems, why is there such a big difference between the two?

[RonaldM_Intel]

@_dimitri_ Windows* and OS X* graphics drivers are handled by different groups within Intel. However, this does bring a contrast to what Drasl last reported (i.e. eye strain with Mac Mini 2012).

[DKour]

Hi Ronald_Intel,

Actually I have recently realised that I do experience eye strain on OSX as well, unfortunately. It is significantly less than on Windows 10 on the same machine, but I still do.

Kind regards

Dimitri

[idata]

I have a laptop with 5500 HD iGPU and on Linux Mint 17.3(also Kaly) the laptop was impossible to use more than 30 minutes( I tried brightness control , xgamma -gamma it helped a little but not much).I will get eye strain.First I said that the display on this laptop is so cheap and so bad that I wanted to return the laptop.Than I installed Windows 10 and no more eye strain,I can use older drivers or the latest driver no problem for me but on linux in bad.

[AZaha]

Hi guys,

Do we have any news concerning this topic?

I have the same problem with my HP 17 Envy laptop. After using it for 5-10 minutes I got eye strain.

Nearly every day I've tried to adjust the brightness, gamma or the contrast in a comfortable manner but it's impossible. I have also tried the older driver x.x.4300, but there's no difference.

Contrary to AlexAlexandru, I have this problem on an Windows 10 environment using an Intel HD 4600 graphic card.

My intention was to buy a new laptop when I saw this topic and decided to wait a bit as the new one uses the same Intel graphic card.

Please give us your feedback as soon as the problem is solved.

Thank you

[BStef]

I am experiencing the same eye strain using a Mac Mini 2012 (HD 4000 graphics).

I purchased the computer and display together so I naturally blamed the display and I went through 4 displays before realizing that it was not a display problem.

As soon as I connected a mac with a dedicated GPU I had no problem at all.

This problem is probably underreported since most people probably blame the display itself, but I would really encourage Intel to seriously look into this because eventually that display manufacturers will start to look into the issue.

[RonaldM_Intel]

Hello,

I would like to provide you all with an update on this issue. Since I haven't been able to experience eye strain with several different drivers and equipment here, neither some of my coworkers, I elevated this issue to our debugging team. This is filed under bug ID 1405242774.

What does this mean? Well, it is a whole new set of eyes testing this issue, along with different Hardware. I cannot promise you a fix is coming anytime soon, since we have seen, even in this thread alone, how subjective this issue really is. But rest assured that we haven't dismissed this problem, and we are actively working on it.

AlexAlexandru Linux* drivers are developed by the Linux* community. They are entirely different beasts from what we offer on https://downloadcenter.intel.com/ Drivers & Software. Interesting enough, you actually do not experience Eye strain in Windows 10*. Can you confirm to us which driver you have installed? You can learn how to confirm the graphics driver version from here: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/graphics-drivers/000005589.html Identify Your Graphics Driver Version

Kindest Regards,