u/whatwaslmadefor

Long story short: I had an iPhone 8 until late 2024, when I got an iPhone 16, and suddenly started experiencing intense eye pain and migraines from looking at the phone. The pain lasted for hours after. I researched, learned about PWM, and returned the 16 for an iPhone SE 3rd gen, since that has an LCD screen and I figured it'd be easier on my eyes.

The SE has been painful but doable (I guess) since then, up until the iOS 26 update, when it's become intolerable. I've tried every setting I can think of (and everything recommended here), including:

• Night Shift off
• True Tone off
• Brightness max, Reduce White Point @ 50%
• Low Power Mode on
• Greyscale @ 100%
• "Double invert"
• Reduce Motion
• Bold Text
• Reduce Transparency
• Increase Contrast
• Reduce Bright Effects
• Dim Flashing Lights

I also have both a blue light screen protector and a matte screen protector on the SE. I went to the optometrist, got checked out (nothing "wrong" that she could tell), and got prescription blue light glasses (which helped a bit before the iOS update but no longer do). I have done everything I can think of to do, but if folks here have other ideas, please share; I'll try anything.

Mostly I have been trying to avoid what feels like the enormous chore of migrating off the Apple ecosystem, but the priority is figuring out how to live without eye pain again, so I'll do it if I have to.

Here are my options as I see them:

• Get a different iPhone and exchange the screen (I've seen others mention the EK Pro Incell LCD screen) - I don't know how this would differ from the SE's LCD screen, though
• Try an iPhone 17 and the PWM reduction setting
• Get a non-Apple phone (like Honor, e-ink, etc.)

Does that sound right? Am I missing anything?

Thanks - I have learned so much from this community and appreciate folks sharing their stories.

tl;dr: Desperate for a phone that won't give me migraine symptoms.

I had never had migraine symptoms (at all) before I got an iPhone 16 a year and a half or so ago. I had had an iPhone 8 before then. The symptoms were an immediate, deep pain in the back of my eyes and in my temples as soon as I looked at the 16's screen, and it lasted for hours afterward. I did some research, decided it was the OLED vs LCD screen and PWM issues with the OLED, and sent the iPhone 16 back and bought instead an iPhone SE 3rd gen, because this is, as far as I can tell, the most "modern" LCD model Apple makes.

The SE has never been great. The migraine symptoms are not nearly so bad as with the 16, but they're there, and using my phone for any length of time is quite painful. I have been to the optometrist (got prescription blue light glasses), adjusted my iPhone settings in every way I know how, tried F1 glasses. My partner has an iPhone 13 that bothers me a bit but not nearly as much. The pain persists long after I've stopped looking at my phone, especially after this last update to iOS 26.

I don't want to leave the Apple ecosystem, but I'd make it work if I could go back to seeing without pain. My primary question is - are there Android/Google/etc. devices that don't have whatever technology is causing this? How do I figure out what the underlying hardware or software issue is? Is there Android tech that's basically similar to the iPhone 8 that continues to receive software security updates?

Phew. I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. I write code for a living, so I stare at screens all day, and the prospect of not being able to look at screens without pain is terrifying.