For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been a big proponent of the idea that “brightness” doesn’t matter. I’ve expressed my opinion on this topic multiple times, and even wrote a post a few years ago where I compared a monitor to a night light.
A monitor is a critical component of your computer or mobile workstation. For the best results, the monitor should provide you with the best possible picture and color quality.
Some monitors are better for watching movies, playing games, editing photos, or just looking at the screen. For some people, movement of the screen may cause eye strain or fatigue. You can reduce this by adjusting the monitor brightness, screen size, and contrast.
Eye strain, fatigue, and other eye health issues may occur if your monitor’s brightness and contrast settings are incorrect. So now I’m here to assist you in correcting these issues so that your eyes feel considerably better.
The brightness of your display is the more essential of the two settings, in my opinion. When your display is excessively bright, the blue light it produces causes a lot of eye strain, which may lead to visual difficulties, weary eyes, migraines, and sleeping issues.
However, changing the brightness and contrast to more typical levels can greatly assist you, and you will notice a significant improvement as soon as you make the changes.
Because we utilize various ways to alter these two parameters, we’ll go through each one individually below, starting with the most essential.
Choosing the most appropriate screen brightness for your eyes
You don’t want these settings to be overly bright since it will create further issues. The lower you set your brightness settings, the darker the room becomes. Setting the brightness level to 60 should enough for most situations, such as typical office settings.
However, if it’s too dark, you can turn it down, and if it’s too bright, you can turn it up – for example, if you work outdoors in the summer if the space is very brightly lighted.
My monitor’s brightness setting is set at 40 since it’s early morning and a little overcast outside. I can generally maintain it at this temperature throughout the day, but in the summer or if the sun chooses to rise and shine, I’ll have to raise it to 60, since 40 is too low.
In other words, the “best brightness” level is determined by the amount of light available. However, as a general guideline, keep it as low as feasible. Low, but not so low that you have to strain to see what’s on the screen.
You don’t want the sun to fry your eyes with that blue glow!
I also suggest something that works in conjunction with the brightness settings to keep your eyes well rested and protected. I’m talking about blue light blocking glasses – I’ve been using them for four years and they’ve been a game changer (goodbye weary eyes and migraines!)
You may also read my review of my favorite – Gunnar Intercept – to discover how useful they are.
How do you adjust the brightness of your monitor?
On a laptop and a desktop computer, the procedure is somewhat different. We’ll start with laptops since that’s what most of us use these days.
Changing a laptop’s brightness
Right-click anywhere on your desktop and choose “display settings” to adjust the brightness level on your monitor.
The first option you may alter in the new window that appears is your brightness:
To decrease or raise the brightness level, just slide the bar from left to right. Adjust it according to the amount of light in the room, but try to keep it under 60. If the room is dimly light, you may safely decrease the brightness.
On a desktop computer, changing the brightness
If you’re using an external display, you’ll need to use the monitor’s settings to adjust the brightness.
Depending on the type and manufacturer of your monitor, certain buttons will be located on the side, back, or bottom of the screen. It usually consists of a primary Menu button and two other buttons that allow you to change the settings.
If you’re not sure how to adjust it, see your monitor’s instructions – although generally, hitting those buttons will take you to the brightness settings (since there aren’t many options).
Set the brightness setting as low as feasible, which is about 60%, just as you would on a laptop. For the most part, this is the optimum brightness setting.
Choosing the right monitor contrast for your eyes
Poor contrast, like too much of it, may cause your eyes to get weary. This option isn’t as bad for your eyes as the brightness settings, but it’s still essential, because brightness and contrast typically go together.
In contrast to the brightness settings (which should be as low as feasible), the contrast settings are generally the opposite – you want it to be greater rather than lower.
You won’t be able to alter your contrast settings on a laptop since they’re automatically set to optimum levels.
If your display is older or you require a lot more contrast, there’s a setting called “high contrast mode” that truly brings everything to life. It also alters the color theme to very bold and contrasting hues, so use it only when absolutely required.
To get to this option, enter “high contrast” into the Windows search box and then choose “Turn high contrast on or off” from the search results. This will bring you to the following page, where you may activate or disable this mode:
As previously stated, this alters the operating system’s color theme and is usually not required to be enabled. You may turn it on if you’re having trouble seeing what’s on your screen (and it’s not because the brightness is too low).
On a desktop computer, changing the contrast settings
Altering the contrast setting on an external monitor is similar to changing the brightness levels: you’ll need to click the buttons on your display to get to this option.
In comparison, the most typical figures in this area are approximately 65 percent to 70 percent. Lower levels will result in a less clear picture, while higher levels will result in a “burned image” look. As a result, while you’re setting it up, aim for these levels.
Remember that, although contrast isn’t often the primary cause of weary eyes and eye fatigue from spending too much time in front of the computer, it still has to be adjusted to the appropriate levels to minimize eye strain.
Taking it to the next level
Setting the appropriate brightness and contrast on your display is essential, but it may not be enough to keep your eyes healthy.
I highly advise you to get a set of blue light filtering glasses (I’ll provide the link again here), as they work wonderfully for people who spend a lot of time in front of the computer.
Alternatively, just enable Night mode in your monitor’s Display settings (right-click on the desktop to access them). After sunset, your monitor’s color temperature will automatically shift to a warmer setting, providing further eye protection.
And that would be the end of it! Now you know all you need to know about these critical settings (and many more things to do) to keep your eyes in great condition while working on your laptop or computer.
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All the pixels in an image-producing monitor are not the same. It’s important to set the correct monitor brightness and contrast settings to ensure you are able to view an image clearly, especially if you are working in an office environment. If you are not, you can make the screen brighter to compensate, but this will increase the amount of light energy emitted from the monitor.. Read more about best brightness and contrast settings for monitor reddit and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What monitor brightness is best for eyes?
The best monitor brightness for eyes is usually around 100 nits.
What is the best color setting for monitor for eyes?
The best color setting for a monitor is usually the one that allows you to see the most colors.
Is higher monitor brightness better for your eyes?
Higher monitor brightness is not better for your eyes.
