Do you have a glossy or matte monitor?

General Developer Forum Hardware
,
1

I have been using a glossy monitor (LG5K) for over a year now and I swear it is affecting my eyesight.

I heard that it can happen as it’s more difficult to focus on glossy surfaces but I was unconvinced and didn’t expect it to have any impact on my general eye-health. Maybe the covid lockdown and lack of gym/exercise has been a factor but I don’t think I will get a glossy monitor again (and really hope Apple bring out an affordable 6K matte display!)

I’m curious what you are using, and, if you’re using a glossy monitor, do you feel it’s impacted your eyesight at all?

2 Likes
2

Corresponding tweet for this thread:

Share link for this tweet.

1 Like
3

I sometimes miss working on my gaming display because matte surface absolutely was easier to focus on.

Even my beloved iMac Pro’s display is partially glossy and it’s a struggle sometimes. :flushed:

2 Likes
4

I’m going to experiment with dropping the res (then later increasing it) past Apple’s default to see if that helps :man_shrugging:

1 Like
5

Didn’t know that there was such a thing as glossy or matte monitor. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
6

If it’s shiny (so quite reflective) it’s glossy - which computer/monitor do you have @dyowee?

1 Like
7

My monitor’s a DELL E170S.

2 Likes
8

Looking at the official user’s guide, I can’t see if the display is glossy or matte.

2 Likes
9

It is an old monitor, so I guess it is not glossy.

2 Likes
10

My monitor is very matte, though it’s also old enough that it heralds from the days where matte screens were considered the quality screens. I can’t really stand shiny screens… ^.^;

1 Like
11

I switched to a LG5K in the winter and it was fine, however with spring comes more light so it’s been more of a struggle. Now working with all the blinds down, which is somewhat depressing. Really love text rendering on the screen though…

3 Likes
12

My LG5K is pretty bright @Hallski, most days I run it between 50% to around 75% brightness. I have two lamps for ambient lighting for when the blinds are down.

Since spending more time on the TV I think it’s definitely improved things with my eyes feeling less fatigued, so not being glued to our monitors 24/7 is probably a good thing!

1 Like
13

I couldn’t make peace with the fact that my iMac Pro’s display isn’t matte. :frowning: But it’s not fully glossy either. I positioned it in such a way that sun doesn’t hit it ever but on the rare occasions it’s still evident.

My aging 21:9 gaming display (I say aging because it’s only 2560:1080 resolution) is fully matte and I love it.

Sigh, I think I won’t be using Macs for everyday machines moving forward…

2 Likes
14

On my laptops which are almost always glossy, I put a matte screen protector over them because it drives me crazy to see the reflection constantly. I can’t figure out why anyone thought that glossy was a good idea for a computer screen or TV for that matter. :man_shrugging:

3 Likes
15

They offer higher contrast and ‘brighter more vivid’ colours… but not great if you need to stare at them at close distance for things like text or need colour accuracy for things like print or work in a bright room or opposite a window.

Work machines should always be matte imo, even if just because they are easier for your eyes to focus on text :upside_down_face:

3 Likes
16

Back when I used to do more hiking and photography, I couldn’t stand the glossy screen on my iMac. You can constantly see yourself in the reflection on the monitor especially using a dark background which is really prevalent with photo apps like Lightroom and Aperature (which has since been killed off).

3 Likes