should the ASUS VG248QE hurt my eyes?

[ToastyX]

I don't know what could cause eyestrain issues other than flicker and brightness. Flicker is essential to the way LightBoost works, and LightBoost already reduces the brightness, so there's not much you can do about the LightBoost modes.

My recommendation would be to switch to 144 Hz when not playing games. If you're still having problems at 144 Hz, you might be sensitive to the PWM flicker. 144 Hz has the least noticeable flicker, but there's still flicker because that monitor uses PWM for brightness control.

You might be better off with a flicker-free monitor like the BenQ XL2420TE. That monitor has zero flicker in non-LightBoost modes.