Effective luminance deterioration of medical liquid crystal displays in clinical use.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the maximum luminance (L max) level of medical liquid crystal displays (LCDs) as a function of backlight hours (BLH) annually. The L max values for 249 2-megapixel color LCDs (RadiForce RX210, EIZO Corporation) were measured in February 2014, 2015, and 2016. Four near-range luminance meters and the built-in type luminance meters, each with an LCD, were used for the measurements. The average and standard deviation (SD) of BLH measured in 2014 was 15,371 ± 8219 h. Four, twenty, and thirty-nine LCDs failed in the constancy tests performed in February 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively, i.e., they were unable to output 170 cd/m2. The SD of L max increased each year and as BLH became longer. In conclusion, evaluation of L max as a function of BLH during constancy testing will help predict the decrease in L max of a clinically used medical color LCD.