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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)

#281

Post by thejackgoode »

mcv wrote: post #237

I think the issue is a lot more subtle than simply "dark mode = better" vs "light mode = better". When it's dark around me, I don't want a bright white screen blinding me, so I prefer dark mode. But when I'm in a well-light room with a white wall behind my screen, I don't want to have to peer at a dark rectangle. Also, whether you're using dark or light mode, contrast and brightness need to be set right, and I think…

This. I switch the theme of IDE almost daily based on light conditions. Though generally dark themes are surprisingly harder on the eyes for me, even with enough light.

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

#282

Post by adql »

GekkePrutser wrote: post #74
manchmalscott wrote: post #55

Eh, I prefer dark mode aesthetically, and also I personally find that, at 4 am in a dark room where the only lights are a single desk lamp behind my monitors, and the monitors themselves, white backgrounds are painful. I’m willing to accept that if I was in a sunny room at high noon that light mode might be better.

Yes this is also because these days monitor engineers optimize for peak brightness and totally neglect minimum brightness specs. Because 600 nits looks great on a spec sheet and it's just difficult to regulate (backlight) LEDs over a huge brightness range without affecting color accuracy or causing excessive flickering. Nobody looks at the minimum spec if it's even provided. So what they tend to do is to have the low…

> it's just difficult to regulate (backlight) LEDs over a huge brightness range without affecting color accuracy or causing excessive flickering.

It's not difficult. Any problem is designer laziness. Only real problem is if white light source used have some nonlinearity with white balance, but having accurate current control isn't all that hard, just gotta use actual current control instead of just PWMing CC source with no filtering whatsoever.

The problem is exactly what you mentioned after

> Nobody looks at the minimum spec if it's even provided.

nobody tests for that so consumer can't even find the good ones easily.

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

#283

Post by metafunctor »

IshKebab wrote: post #239
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" ?

SAD is a very well known acronym.

It's a well-known concept here in northern Europe, and I must have seen the acronym before, but I did not recognize it.

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

#284

Post by Mohune »

There is no definitive answer to this question, as different people may have different experiences with using dark mode. Some people find that dark mode helps reduce eye strain, while others may find it more difficult to read text on a dark background. Ultimately, the best way to determine if dark mode is good for your eyes is to try it out for yourself and see how it affects your eyesight. If you notice any discomfort or difficulty reading, you may want to switch back to a lighter color scheme.

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

#285

Post by ycombinete »

wheels wrote: post #217
wincy wrote: post #94

I was a big believer in dark mode for a long time, until I started trying to reduce my SAD symptoms during the winter time. I read this blog post here [0] after seeing it on HN, and ended up buying 28 100W equivalent bulbs and a 500W equivalent corn bulb. I get a pretty decent amount of light in my home office now, and light mode is essential on my workstation or it's almost impossible to even SEE anything on screen,…

I'm interested in your light setup, particularly if you happen to use high-CRI bulbs. It also took me ages to realize how large of an effect SAD had on me. I grew up in Texas, where it wasn't much of a thing, but went to college in Michigan and then moved to Germany (where I've been for 20 years) and it took me multiple years to notice the pattern of only struggling with what I'd previously dubbed "burn out" in the w…

I've had this issue. I have 5 1350 lumen bulbs in my office, but they are all 80 on the Color Rendering Index, and it's somehow bright and dull in here simultaneously. I think the sandblasted white chandelier covers make it worse as well.

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

#286

Post by TeMPOraL »

Sunspark wrote: post #159

I like dark mode very much these days even during the daytime because I find staring at a bright white screen runs the risk of triggering a migraine. Dark mode screens don't do that. The contrast between pure white backgrounds and pure black text is too stark and causes greater eyestrain when it's directly transmitted light as opposed to reflected light. Displays in light mode that are reflective do not have this kin…

> Turning down the brightness on a display is not really the solution because most displays use pulse width modulation so you are just exchanging brightness for flicker and strobing effects.

Gotta add this to my list of ways the market fails us that I wish I know how to correct. I get that PWM is an useful, probably most cost-efficient approach, but that doesn't explain so many shitty implementations I see even in expensive devices. In case of lights, it's harmful to a subset of people who notice this. It also ruins video recordings (less so these days - camera software now tries to compensates for it).

Then I see the same in electric and induction stoves, and microwave ovens - power level control implemented as sub-1Hz PWM (at this point the right term is probably "bang-bang controller"). I don't know about designers of those appliances, but my cookware and the stuff I cook often doesn't have enough thermal mass to "smooth out" the pulses - 50% of power implemented by heating at 100% for 3 seconds, and then 0% for 3 seconds, means my food gets overheated anyway, just half as fast, and I get to be annoyed by the sound of a clicking relay.

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

#287

Post by KronisLV »

wincy wrote: post #94

I was a big believer in dark mode for a long time, until I started trying to reduce my SAD symptoms during the winter time. I read this blog post here [0] after seeing it on HN, and ended up buying 28 100W equivalent bulbs and a 500W equivalent corn bulb. I get a pretty decent amount of light in my home office now, and light mode is essential on my workstation or it's almost impossible to even SEE anything on screen,…

> I bought some higher brightness monitors but am starting to realize all those years of using dark mode was just lending itself to me spending 8 hours a day working in a dark room and was making me depressed, especially in the winter.

One possible detriment to this idea is probably now staring at a bright monitor for 8 hours a day.

Considering that outside is also somewhat bright normally, it shouldn't be that significant of a problem, but then again, I've noticed that I blink less frequently when using a computer.

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

#288

Post by TeMPOraL »

TheCapeGreek wrote: post #187
Sunspark wrote: post #159

I like dark mode very much these days even during the daytime because I find staring at a bright white screen runs the risk of triggering a migraine. Dark mode screens don't do that. The contrast between pure white backgrounds and pure black text is too stark and causes greater eyestrain when it's directly transmitted light as opposed to reflected light. Displays in light mode that are reflective do not have this kin…

> If so, then why should your screen be pure white? This is what it boils down to for most people. Using a less-than-pure white or a cream colour like HN makes for a much more pleasant read. At night it's often still too bright for me, but I'm happy to switch modes according to how I feel at the time.

Wonder if that's correlated with warm/cold light preference. I hate cream colors, they make me dizzy and sleepy. I stick as close to pure white as I can - if I have to dim it, I dim the screen, or apply a light gray (possibly biased towards blue) background.

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

#289

Post by laserlight »

Sunspark wrote: post #159

I like dark mode very much these days even during the daytime because I find staring at a bright white screen runs the risk of triggering a migraine. Dark mode screens don't do that. The contrast between pure white backgrounds and pure black text is too stark and causes greater eyestrain when it's directly transmitted light as opposed to reflected light. Displays in light mode that are reflective do not have this kin…

> Turning down the brightness on a display is not really the solution because most displays use pulse width modulation so you are just exchanging brightness for flicker and strobing effects.

Thanks for mentioning this. I've never understood why people preferred dark-mode over reducing brightness of their screen. Perhaps, they are disturbed by flickering on a subtler level that they are not consciously aware of.

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

#290

Post by imhoguy »

dotancohen wrote: post #251
onli wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is not true for many displays. Have a look at reviews, whether there is pwm control/flickering is part of all(?) professional reviews now.

Terrific, that is great to know. I might update my monitors if so.

First thing when I buy any monitor is "flicker-free" keyword. If you got one with PWM then the best you can do is to max out the monitor LED brightness and reduce screen brightness/gamma with an app.
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