This is unfortunately a problem that I'm also having. A low refresh-rate and epilepsy are not the best of friends!
The 60Hz refresh rate problem isn't exclusive to Vista, as I've seen it in XP and Windows 2000 as well. As Brink suggested, lowering your screen resolution to one that caters for a higher refresh rate is one solution, but if you're like me and cannot work efficiently due to the loss of screen real estate (I cannot work at anything less than 1600x1200), then you can try several alternate options:
- Replace your CRT monitor with a high-end setup that provides very good anti-glare and anti-flicker technology, and that uses a very small dot-pitch. I don't recall what the dot-pitch on my monitor is, but 0.25 or less should do fine.
- If at all possible, don't use flouresent lamps in your office. I use a high rated filiment bulb (100W) lamp for my main lighting, and also have a halogen lamp that provides pure white light on my workbench to provide additional lighting. My table is positioned such that the main lighting is above and behind me, and the desklamp is directly above the monitor .
- Adjust the brightness and contrast of your monitor to suit all the extra lighting.
- If possible with your programs, adjust the color so that interface elements that are normally while are slightly off-white. RGB 0x00F5F5F5 (245, 245, 245) works quite well for me. This cannot be easily done with Vista when using Aero, as many of the interface elements are hard coded (If anyone from Microsoft is reading this - pay attention. Allow more user color changes when using Aero)
- When using programs like Explorer, Office Word or Excel that have very large areas of white, try and avoid using full-screen or maximized modes. This is why I like using a very high display resolution. It allows me to use normal application windows that provide enough space to work without requiring a maximized window.
- Use darker colors for your desktop wallpaper, or images that are fairly dark or contain a lot of black. Avoid pictures that contain patterns or intricate designs. I'm not too sure whether it's for you or not, but www.sexydesktop.co.uk as a very large selection of wallpapers to choose from. I tend to use those with a black or dark indoor background.
- In your working environment, try not to go longer than 1 to 2 hours at a time at the computer. Get out for a few minutes and take a break to relieve the strain on your eyes. I usually go to the kitchen and make a cup of coffee for myself. Even though I have the coffee at the computer, just the act of making it is enough of a break, and then drinking the coffee also takes my attention away from the computer for a few minutes. (I easily go through 15 or so cups of coffee a day!)
I certainly hope that this information will help a little.
But let this also be a lesson to any others that are perchance reading this post - Don't ever settle for a budget monitor
when buying a computer, even if it means compromizing by getting a lower spec CPU or less memory or something. A bad
monitor can be hazardous to your health. I fell foul of this when I first got started on computers 20-odd years ago, and
too many hours behind the computer gave me epilepsy and ruined my eyesight. I can't even go outside anymore on a sunny day
without dark glasses unless I want to get a killer headache.