Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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TVs Hurting My Head (self.Blind)
submitted by dunktheball
I have mentioned this before, but I don't think I made a topic on it. For about 9 years now tvs hurt my head big time. Oddly enough every ty affects it differently too! I tried over 20 tvs. Some made my head feel like it was being squeezed really hard. Some were more normal headaches. And they don't really go away when I stop watching them.
Surely it's related in some way to my main vision problem (legally blind)? Although I have a bad cataract, so maybe that is playing a part.... I searched and searched online, desperate to find out what is going on and I did find where people on various forums have had tvs hurt their heads, but I don't think any ever solved it. One was told it was dry eyes, but the drops he was given did not stop the issue at all.
So nobody on here has had it happen? I mean really bad ones, not just ones where you have watched tv for hours and hours and have a typical tension headache. I can look at the screen for just a few minutes sometimes and it's already bad.
I tried ccfl lcd, led lcd, oled, plasma. I tried bigger sizes and smaller sizes. I turned on motion processing and turned it off. I calibrated the tvs with professional equipment. I tried sony, samsung, lg, pioneer/elite. Glossy and matte. High refresh rate, normal refresh rate.
I'm worried that I am somehow damaging something and lowering my lifespan by continuing to watch movies.... and that is about the only thing I have to do all day so I can't just stop....
No clue why this only started 9 years ago. before then I already had a 1080p tv and it didn't do this. It was 40 inches, though, and everything since then has been bigger. At one point going BACK to the 40 inch almost instantaneously healed it, as odd as that sounds. But later on even that one would not bring my head back to normal.
Surely it's related in some way to my main vision problem (legally blind)? Although I have a bad cataract, so maybe that is playing a part.... I searched and searched online, desperate to find out what is going on and I did find where people on various forums have had tvs hurt their heads, but I don't think any ever solved it. One was told it was dry eyes, but the drops he was given did not stop the issue at all.
So nobody on here has had it happen? I mean really bad ones, not just ones where you have watched tv for hours and hours and have a typical tension headache. I can look at the screen for just a few minutes sometimes and it's already bad.
I tried ccfl lcd, led lcd, oled, plasma. I tried bigger sizes and smaller sizes. I turned on motion processing and turned it off. I calibrated the tvs with professional equipment. I tried sony, samsung, lg, pioneer/elite. Glossy and matte. High refresh rate, normal refresh rate.
I'm worried that I am somehow damaging something and lowering my lifespan by continuing to watch movies.... and that is about the only thing I have to do all day so I can't just stop....
No clue why this only started 9 years ago. before then I already had a 1080p tv and it didn't do this. It was 40 inches, though, and everything since then has been bigger. At one point going BACK to the 40 inch almost instantaneously healed it, as odd as that sounds. But later on even that one would not bring my head back to normal.
Amonwilde 2 points 3y ago
It sounds like you're watching a lot of TV. If you're watching for 7+ hours in the day your body may just not be fit for it. Maybe take a week or two away from the screens and then reintroduce the screens gradually after significant time away. Take a week off and watch an hour on the day you return. It sounds like you're adding damage to damage forcing the issue. Find something else to do, either writing, listening to books or podcasts, exploring your neighborhood if you're physically able, or learning a new skill like cooking. You can also learn body strength exercises, oragami, or an instrument like the harmonica.
Just get away from the TV for a bit and give your eyes and body a rest and see how that works out. If you can't step away for a week then that's addiction and only means the need to step away is grater.
Just get away from the TV for a bit and give your eyes and body a rest and see how that works out. If you can't step away for a week then that's addiction and only means the need to step away is grater.
dunktheball [OP] 1 points 3y ago
It does it even if I don't watch for long, but I did think of taking a weeks long break from screens. it would be close to impossible, though, because my only hobbies involve screens, my work does (which I have not been doing much at all this year because I don't really even have to) and if I stop watching tv or movies, I would just sit there in a quiet room all day, falling asleep due to nothing to do. I don't drive so can't go much of anywhere.
I'm mostly just trying to figure out why it suddenly happened. It MOSTLY happens when I am wearing my strong prescription glasses, BUT it started before I even had those. ie it happened with my old glass3s and it also "didn't" happen with my old ones until a certain date.
Not driving messes me up all over.... nothing to do, don't date despite wanting to, etc... so then I am stuck looking at screens. When i tried a projector, even at 100 inches, it actually bothered me less than tvs I think, though.... I could look into one of those again.
I'm mostly just trying to figure out why it suddenly happened. It MOSTLY happens when I am wearing my strong prescription glasses, BUT it started before I even had those. ie it happened with my old glass3s and it also "didn't" happen with my old ones until a certain date.
Not driving messes me up all over.... nothing to do, don't date despite wanting to, etc... so then I am stuck looking at screens. When i tried a projector, even at 100 inches, it actually bothered me less than tvs I think, though.... I could look into one of those again.
CloudyBeep 2 points 3y ago
It sounds like you need to find other hobbies. There are many posts on this subreddit about hobbies.
CloudyBeep 2 points 3y ago
If you want to keep watching movies and TV without continuing to hurt yourself, try audio description. It's an additional audio track in which a narrator describes scenes and characters' actions so that you don't need to be looking at the screen to follow the story. It's available on standard TV, DVDs and Blu-Rays, and streaming services.
dunktheball [OP] 2 points 3y ago
Thanks. In some situations that may come in handy. On some movies I really want to see the visuals. On mostly tv shows I typically don't wear my glasses and don't really look at the screen, though. Sometimes even then my head bothers me, so it's very confusing.
codeplaysleep 1 points 3y ago
Take more frequent breaks and find some hobbies other than watching TV.
I used to never get eye strain watching TV, but then I realized it was because I'd stop looking at the screen for 1-2 minutes every 12 minutes when a commercial came on. That's not something you have to do with most streaming services these days.
My job requires me to look at a screen all day. After working three 10hr days last week, I had to take a full day off to recover. I spent most of the next day playing with the dog, because it didn't require doing anything that was visually straining.
It could also just be that the screen is too bright, especially if a larger TV makes things worse. Try turning down the brightness or watching with sunglasses on, add a blue light filter or wear computer glasses with blue light filtering lenses. I certainly have days where I need to tone down the brightness on things.
I used to never get eye strain watching TV, but then I realized it was because I'd stop looking at the screen for 1-2 minutes every 12 minutes when a commercial came on. That's not something you have to do with most streaming services these days.
My job requires me to look at a screen all day. After working three 10hr days last week, I had to take a full day off to recover. I spent most of the next day playing with the dog, because it didn't require doing anything that was visually straining.
It could also just be that the screen is too bright, especially if a larger TV makes things worse. Try turning down the brightness or watching with sunglasses on, add a blue light filter or wear computer glasses with blue light filtering lenses. I certainly have days where I need to tone down the brightness on things.
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