Backlight bleeding is a common issue that affects modern displays utilizing an active backlight. This issue can manifest in two ways – flash lighting and clouding. Flash lighting occurs when there is backlight bleed in the corners of the screen, while clouding is when there are irregular patches of light still visible even when the screen is supposed to be black. Even though clouding is more prevalent in larger displays, no display is safe from flash lighting regardless of its size.
Fortunately, backlight bleeding can be treated in most cases. If your display has caught the backlight bleed recently, the first thing you should do is try to get it replaced if it’s still covered by the warranty. However, if the display is not covered by a warranty or the company refuses to replace or fix your display, here’s what you can do to fix flash lighting and clouding yourself.
For this DIY fix, you’ll need a screwdriver and a microfiber cloth. The first step is to turn off the display and give it a couple of minutes to cool down. You should then slightly loosen the screws on the back of the display. Believe it or not, both flash lighting and clouding can manifest as a result of panel warping caused by screws that are too tight. In some cases, turning the screws halfway should do the trick. After loosening the screws, twist the frame slightly and turn the display on to see if the problem is gone. If the problem persists, take the microfiber cloth and gently rub the areas in a circular pattern where the bleeding appears. You should only apply enough pressure so that the warping in the screen is slight.
If you’ve done all of this and the problem still persists, try giving it a day or two. Sometimes, it needs time to settle. If not, you can repeat the last bit with the microfiber cloth until all the bleed goes away. In case you want to track your progress and take some before-and-after pictures, the best way to do this is by making the screen completely black. You can Google a black picture or make one yourself in Microsoft Paint. Alternatively, you can follow the link in the description that leads you to an hour-long video that’s just a black screen. Go fullscreen and check the results.
Unfortunately, massaging your display isn’t guaranteed to get rid of the bleed all the time. In such cases, the only thing left to do is to make the bleeding more manageable. This is done simply by turning down the brightness. It’s far from an ideal solution since the visual quality will suffer, especially on HD capable displays. Still, it’s the only thing that you can do, and at least it’s better than nothing.
To avoid backlight bleeding in the future, one can only take preventative measures and opt for displays with minimal backlight bleeding. OLED displays are completely immune to this issue since they don’t use an active backlight. However, seeing how expensive OLED displays are and are likely to remain, the best thing for most users is to read the user and professional reviews before making a purchase.
The DIY method of combating backlight bleeding may not be foolproof, but it can definitely save you a headache or two. At the very least, it will make the issue more manageable. If not, it’s probably time to get a new display. If you’re looking to replace a monitor, make sure to check out our guide for the best ones in the description.