
Even if ghost images are not recognizable, the effects of screen burn are an immediate and continual degradation of image quality.


This wear results in uneven light output over time, and in severe cases can create a ghost image of previous content. This is because the phosphor compounds which emit light to produce images lose their luminance with use.

With phosphor-based electronic displays (for example CRT-type computer monitors, oscilloscope screens or plasma displays), non-uniform use of specific areas, such as prolonged display of non-moving images (text or graphics), repetitive contents in gaming graphics, or certain broadcasts with tickers and flags, can create a permanent ghost-like image of these objects or otherwise degrade image quality.
