CRT Television Picture Flickers in My Peripheral Vision

[Artmuzz]

I still watch tv on an old CRT television but just recently I've noticed that when I move my focus to something else in my lounge the picture on my CRT television slightly flickers like a strobe effect in my peripheral vision.

However, when I move my eyes back into the TV the picture returns to normal. Is this normal? It's strange how I've just noticed this but I'm thinking it's because of my anxiety disorder that is making me aware of this. Another strange thing is that this doesn't happen when watching a modern flat screen LCD TV through my peripheral vision. It just seems to happen with a CRT TV. Please advise.

 

[linearb]

You're probably just becoming aware of a normal perceptual experience because you're paying more attention to it.

CRT TVs do flicker, it's how they work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flicker_(screen)

So, if you're seeing the screen flicker out of the corner of your eye -- it's because it is flickering, but when you're looking right at it, your brain does a better job fooling itself into thinking it's seeing a single moving scene and not the rapid fire 24 still images per second that it's actually seeing.

 

[Strife_84]

Also your eyes are more sensitive when you "look" things with peripheral vision.

Like stars. When I look the stars straight, I don't see them as well. But side of my eyes catch them better.

That's just how eyes work. Peripheral vision is more light sensitive. Thus also more sensitive to flickering.