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Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

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Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#261

Post by cedilla »

inexcf wrote: post #232
IncRnd wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> OMG didn't expect to see the "I know this is true and I don't need researchers telling me otherwise" argument here. And, you didn't see that here. That you would even think that shows that you didn't read what was written. It is ridiculous to wait for what others say about whether dark or light mode strains one's eyes more, since each person already has a pair of eyes to test what works for them.

Can I interest you in some homeopathic remedies or a bottle of snake oil? Maybe prayer? History is full of people who thought/think their bias and anecdotal evidence is good enough.

I think this illustrates well how we have to be careful with our arguments around quack medicine.

The problem with "works for me" is not that that argument is invalid in and of itself. The problem is that homeopaths don't actually know that it works for them. What healed your infection and what did and didn't help is almost impossible to know.

Dark mode is very different. "do I have eyestrain after 4 hours of work" is easy to answer, and dark mode can be toggled with a single click to see how it affects you.

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#262

Post by t0bia_s »

On AMOLED display I using dark background almost everywhere, fortunately most apps have option to switch to true black theme. I also recommend plugin Dark Reader for Firefox browsers.

Similar story is for desktop except true black is not necessary and I prefer dark gray background for less contrast with font. White 27' monitor at evening is heavy for my eyes, even with 25% brightness, that I need for keeping calibration values.

Filter of blue light on phone is also very usefull at evening, I get easily tired.

However... For example for photography portfolios on web I prefer white background, especially for BW. I guess it reminds me more natural, paper white bacground, like prints has.

So it depends...

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#263

Post by gadflyinyoureye »

Dark mode is a good shibboleth for who’s old. I’ve seen it working with people under 30. All the young folk have dark mode. The old folk mostly use light, with some using dark high contrast. If you have an interview with a person and they use light, it can be a proxy for age to help weed out the gray beards.

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#264

Post by mtrower »

midoridensha wrote: post #175
mtrower wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d say it’s a religious issue for both groups. There are people on both sides of the fence who just want to use what’s comfortable (or use both situationally), and be left alone about it. Then there are those in both camps who want to convert others…

The dark mode proponents have a better reason to try to convert people: so they can actually use dark mode more. It's only been fairly recently that dark mode was even an option in most things, unless you just installed Linux and used a terminal all day long. The light mode proponents have never had this problem since the days of Windows 3.1. This isn't a case of just using what you prefer, because dark mode simply h…

That doesn’t seem to be the case, with the people I’m referring to. It’s one thing to want availability. It’s another to try to shove your preferences down someone else’s throat, because, you know, they’re clearly superior. And because “science” and stuff.

See comments on this article pro light mode, about people living in goblin caves or such. On the other hand, people will literally mock you for using Discord in light mode.

Ideally, everyone would have the options they wanted available to them, use them, and stfu about it and get on with life. In reality, though, people would still be fighting holy wars over it…

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#265

Post by kypro »

My issue when using dark mode was the inconsistency between windows.

I noticed I was getting extreme eye strain because I kept alt tabbing from apps that supported dark mode to apps that didn't. That constant change from light to dark screens was far more straining to my eyes than my screen being consistently bright.

I quite like the sepia night mode settings though. I don't find it helps with sleep as some claim, but it does seem to make the screen slightly easier to look at for longer periods.

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#266

Post by daveoc64 »

wwalexander wrote: post #250
daveoc64 wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's because there's a common trope online that people say seeing something in light mode is "blinding" or "makes my eyes bleed". I think it's therefore important that the actual benefits of dark mode are tested scientifically and not just assumed.

Is it not enough that a person feels very strongly that one way is more comfortable for them? Why must we quantify when someone is physically uncomfortable? Theoretically it would be probably be optimal in terms of the science of visual perception to flood my room with the brightest white light possible, instead of using my usual dimmed yellow lights. It would also make me feel subjectively terrible (like my eyes wer…

> Is it not enough that a person feels very strongly that one way is more comfortable for them?

Well, no.

If people think something is helping their eyesight, but it's really making it worse, that's a problem.

A lot of dev and gamer oriented sites/apps have a dark mode because it's trendy.

Whether it is objectively better is something I'm very interested in, especially as there are some things (e.g. Twitch's theatre mode) that only offer a dark mode.

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#267

Post by daveoc64 »

IncRnd wrote: post #224
brabel wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OMG didn't expect to see the "I know this is true and I don't need researchers telling me otherwise" argument here.

> OMG didn't expect to see the "I know this is true and I don't need researchers telling me otherwise" argument here. And, you didn't see that here. That you would even think that shows that you didn't read what was written. It is ridiculous to wait for what others say about whether dark or light mode strains one's eyes more, since each person already has a pair of eyes to test what works for them.

Slouching in a chair feels great right now, but I might regret it in 25 years time.

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#269

Post by wildpeaks »

MildlySerious wrote: post #231
skeletal88 wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you not use random acronyms without explaining what they are? Why do you expect that everyone knows what SAD means in your current context? I get it when someone mentions AWS or MSFT or LED on a tech site.. but "SAD syndrome" ?

Seasonal Affective Disorder, for anyone else wondering. Agree with avoiding "random" acryonyms if possible.

I agree, the rule of thumb I try to stick to regarding acronyms is adding the definition in parenthesis the first time it's used (although a footnote would work too).

Re: Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

#270

Post by KaiserPro »

alpos wrote: post #72

This post seems to boil down to, "I read a summary of one study, so I am confident in telling you all how wrong you are". Thanks but I'll let the scientific process play itself out over time. In the mean time, I appreciate that the public debate has induced phones, apps, and many web sites to give me the option to enjoy reading things all day without eye strain. The fact that more stuff defaults dark mode or follows…

Look, darkmode, and the bluelight fear is not really based on that much science.

Yes, UV and top end blue does cause cataracts in people, but thats from the sun, not monitors.

There are at least two strands to darkmode, one is the "It stops me from sleeping" and the other is eye strain.

the sleeping part is almost certainly nothing to do with the colour temperature of the light coming out of your device. If you go outside at dusk, you will note that its overwhelmingly blue in most places, most of the year (in london its orange for an hour in april and october.) yes, sunset tends to be orange, but the long bit after (again depending on longitude) is overwhelmingly blue.

The moon casts blue light.

You can't get to sleep because you've been hooked on twitter/instagram/ticktok and are revved up because that's what they do. "YOU NEED TO DO THIS NOW" or "THE SITUATION IS REALLY BAD, BECAUSE YOU DIDNT X" and "OMG THEY ARE SO HOT" finally "YOU ARE FAILING BECAUSE YOU DIDNT DO THIS ONE OLD WEIRD TRICK"

You have tension headaches because you've been frowning at a screen for many hours. Or you've not blinked, looked up moved your eyes, or generally changed position.

Now, there are some people for whom this doesn't apply, and that blue light is the cause of their woes. But for 99.5% of you, it won't be.

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