We’ve all had to deal with using a computer or smartphone, only to curse and crane our necks because of the glare obscuring most of the screen. Dealing with screen glare on a personal phone is one thing, however. When glare obscures vital information on a medical or industrial computer, it goes from “annoyance” to “health and safety hazard.”
Fortunately, anti-glare screens exist to block out harsh lighting and ensure visibility.
A Guide to Anti-Glare Screens
Also known as anti-glare filters or anti-reflective screens, an anti-glare screen is a coating or film over a glass surface that helps disperse light. This prevents it from reflecting off of the glass and into the viewer’s eyes.
Anti-glare screens are most commonly used on eyeglasses, which lets people with poor sight wear them outdoors. This same technology can be applied to a computer’s monitor, filtering out harsh light while still preserving visibility.
Beyond the obvious practical benefit of being able to actually see what’s on the screen, anti-glare screens have ergonomic benefits as well. Trying to see through harsh screen glare can easily lead to eye strain and headaches. It can even cause neck and shoulder pain as users twist and turn their heads to see better. The American Optometric Association has even gone so far as to label the issue “computer vision syndrome.”
Types of Anti-Glare Screens
Anti-glare screens come in two primary forms:
Matte Anti-Glare Screens
Matte anti-glare screens provide a slightly textured surface that disperses light. However, this can also make images slightly fuzzier and alter the screen’s colors.
Glossy Anti-Glare Screens
A glossy anti-glare screen combines the anti-glare coating with a glossy finish that helps maintain the original image’s sharpness.
Applications for Anti-Glare Screens
Beyond just the comfort that they provide, anti-glare screens are a necessity in certain sectors, such as:
Medical Applications
Many medical-grade computers are used in areas with extremely harsh lighting, such as hospital wards and operating rooms. These areas need intense lighting so that providers can read documents or see a patient’s body during surgery. However, this also means that computer screens become lost in glare. Medical computers and medical-grade monitors often implement anti-glare screens to preserve their visibility.
Industrial Applications
Industrial computers with anti-glare screens are extensively used in the industrial sector, both indoors and out. Assembly lines rely on computers to control the manufacturing process, and these areas must be brightly lit for workplace safety. Industrial-grade lighting also requires an industrial-grade anti-glare solution. In an outdoor work environment such as an oil rig, industrial panel PCs with anti-glare screens ensure visibility even when the sun is out.
Considerations for Anti-Glare Screens
As with any computer add-on or customization, there are certain considerations you need to be aware of before adding anti-glare screens. The most common questions to ask are:
What Type Should I Use?
When you’re choosing an anti-glare screen, remember that it can affect a monitor’s colors and fidelity. While this might not matter for applications that don’t require extreme fidelity, such as controlling machines on an assembly line, it will for others. Medical diagnostic imaging is the perfect example of the latter; doctors need to see every fine detail, which a matte anti-glare screen might obscure. A glossy anti-glare screen helps preserve the original image better while still blocking out light.
How Do You Plan To Clean the Screen?
Anti-glare coatings on the outside of the monitor’s screen can be damaged by cleaning solutions or scrubbing. You can avoid this issue by using more specialized cleaning products and microfiber cloths. Another option is to use a display with the anti-glare filter applied to the inside of the monitor.
Where Will the Anti-Glare Filter Go?
Putting the anti-glare screen behind the glass protects it from harsh cleaning or environmental factors, but this can only be done during the manufacturing and assembly phases. If you want an integrated anti-glare screen on your computer, you’ll need to work with an original equipment manufacturer who can provide that sort of customization.
Integrated Anti-Glare Screens from Cybernet Manufacturing
What is an anti-glare screen? It’s a key component to preserving the visibility of your computers and the comfort of your employees. Whether you work in a factory or a hospital, cutting through harsh lighting is a necessity for ensuring you can actually use the computers you paid for.
If you need medical or industrial computers with built-in anti-glare screens, contact the team at Cybernet Manufacturing. As an OEM, we exercise full control over our manufacturing process and can easily integrate anti-glare filters during the design and assembly stages. We’d be more than happy to integrate such features into any of our products.