# Study: E-Ink Not Easier on Eyes Than LCD



## JuliMonroe (Apr 25, 2011)

So all you folks who prefer reading on your Fire, no problem. You're not hurting your eyes anymore than the people who prefer E-Ink.

Enjoy!

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/10/02/new-study-suggests-e-ink-is-not-better-for-your-eyes-than-lcds/

Anecdotally, though, I have to disagree. Reading on my iPad later in the day, when my eyes are tired, sure feels more tiring than reading on my Touch. Guess it's all in my head.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

JuliMonroe said:


> So all you folks who prefer reading on your Fire, no problem. You're not hurting your eyes anymore than the people who prefer E-Ink.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ...


No, not in your head. Well, yes, in your head because that's where your eyes are. People are different. I think the point is there's nothing specifically _damaging_ but if you are the sort who finds your eyes get tired more quickly with backlit, that's just your biology. I think it's the muscles and such getting tired though -- so it's harder to keep focus, etc -- not that you're actually damaging the vision receptors.

Oh, and for the record, comparing an old eInk screen to an iPad is like apples and oranges. There are so many things going on I'm not sure I'd necessarily agree with their conclusions. I don't feel like there were proper controls, though the article isn't very detailed so it's hard to say. I do agree that, no matter the type of screen, better resolution is going to be a better reading experience.


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## VondaZ (Apr 21, 2009)

The problem with that study is that the sample size was only 10 people. I could easily find 10 people who prefer to read on a tablet and who don't complain of eye strain. So while the study is interesting, I wouldn't draw any real conclusions from it, other than that a larger study is needed.


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

Way too small of a sample size.


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## KTaylor-Green (Aug 24, 2011)

But I agree with Ann. I never thought I was sustaining damage, but it is just more tiring  for me to read with a back lit screen. I do it once in a while, but most of my reading is on my K3.


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## JuliMonroe (Apr 25, 2011)

Dang. Missed the tiny sample size. Well, good for a chuckle anyway.

Maybe I should have read it on an E-ink screen. Yeah, then I would have processed better and not missed the sample size.


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## Broadus (Nov 29, 2010)

I think the significant question posed at the end of the article is the matter of display resolution. The fuzzier fonts of the earlier iPads and even many present-day tablets may contribute to the fatigue factor more so than back-lit tablet vs. e-ink reader. I suspect a Fire HD produces less eye fatigue than the original Fire. And perhaps the higher-resolution Kindle Paperwhite will allow for less fatigue than the earlier Kindles. My Paperwhite hasn't yet arrived, and I've owned neither the Fire nor the Fire HD, so I'm simply speculating.

Plus, what about the brightness level of the back-lit displays. I've noticed on my Lenovo ThinkPad notebook that a brightness set too high for lighting in the room contributes to eye fatigue.


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## kb7uen Gene (Mar 13, 2009)

Because of my eye condition, this has always been a major issue for me regardless of lighting, reading position, font size, glare, and the list goes on.  It's just the nature of the beast, and those of us with low vision just put up with it and continue leasure reading or working.  And this was always the case for me on everything I looked at until I had an inner ocular lens put in my good eye in November of 2006.  Now whether it is the K2, KDXG, K3, iPhone 4S, And less so the Fire, it doesn't seem to impact me as much.  But for some reason, computer displays are still a minor issue for me and I don't know why that is the case.  I had hoped the Fire would a good magazine reader for me, but I've found I don't like reading on the Fire as much as the iPhone or Kindles.  I'm hoping that the Fire HD will improve the magazine reading experience for me.  Have any of you other Fire to Fire HD owners noticed a difference, either good or bad, when reading on the Fire HD compared to your gen one Fire? - Gene


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## Mamaduk (Mar 14, 2012)

Some people actually are damaging their eyes by looking at an LCD screen all the time.  Most people aren't.  I could find 10 people who are causing damage to their eyes by using LCD screens easily (I'm one of them).  It really comes down to whatever people prefer.  One way is really not better than another.  Some people have no issue whatsoever reading on a backlit screen.  Some do.  I'm really puzzled why that issue get so contentious sometimes.


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## skyblue (Dec 23, 2009)

Did anyone purchase a Kindle Fire primarily for reading?  

How is the battery life of the Fire when reading vs. the Paperwhite's battery life?

I am reevaluating my decision.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Skyblue - I do a lot of reading on my Fire HD; several hours per day. With wifi on, reading for probably 4 hours (with, say, an hour of game play added in) and the illumination set to auto adjust I need to recharge each night. I have gotten a 15% battery remaining warning on occasion. Don't have a PW, but if you look/search the PW forum you can find that info. Personally, I'm waiting until PWs show up at my local Best Buy so I can take a critical look at just how the screens look in the real world. (I don't have any problems reading on the Fire, but that's me.)


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## skyblue (Dec 23, 2009)

HappyGuy said:


> Skyblue - I do a lot of reading on my Fire HD; several hours per day. With wifi on, reading for probably 4 hours (with, say, an hour of game play added in) and the illumination set to auto adjust I need to recharge each night. I have gotten a 15% battery remaining warning on occasion. Don't have a PW, but if you look/search the PW forum you can find that info. Personally, I'm waiting until PWs show up at my local Best Buy so I can take a critical look at just how the screens look in the real world. (I don't have any problems reading on the Fire, but that's me.)


Thanks, HappyGuy, for your insight! I appreciate it.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I can't pretend to have anyone else's eyes, so this will always be a personal thing. But for me its 100% fact that e-ink is easier on the eyes. And it does not make a difference what the display is, if it is backlit like LCD, I can't read fiction on it. I can play games, watch movies etc. But to read line by line on a screen is very different than say surfing on a computer screen. I tried reading on my original fire, on the Ipad1, Ipad2 and Ipad3. My hubby gets his updated by the company. So even the bestest of the bestests screen still makes my eyes water, makes the letters start wobbling. It is hard to describe, but its very real. And yes, this is with brightness turned down to the point where it then gets straining again to even see the words. 

I watch my husband on his Ipad and I can see his eyes getting really red and tearing up. When I read on E-ink, my eyes kind of glide over the words easy. When I read on a backlit screen, I squint, I blink a lot more and it feels like my eye muscle is working harder. It also gives me tension headaches.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Oh, don't get me wrong. I prefer reading on my KK, although I don't notice my eyes getting tired or anything. I was just providing the time before recharge information. Skyblue, since you've waited this long, take the time to check out the PW at a local store.


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