Live data from Hacker News

Is Dark Mode Good for Your Eyes? (2020)

kevquirk.com

121–130 of 375 posts

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

#121
It seems likely the author was just into it because it is a fad. Here is why I use and like dark mode:

My eyes feel better on both short term and long term use. It doesn't feel as uncomfortable on my eyes.

Whether or not it is technically more readable or not doesn't matter to me. I don't need a study of a population to know what feels better to me. I'm a sample size of one, but the only one in this case that matters. Others are free to make their own choice. YMMV.

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

#122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unfortunately, the moment one turns it on, the content goes dark too This might be an artifact of your screen's limited contrast. Have you tried dark mode on an OLED screen?

They meant that when you turn on Chrome's dark mode (for the browser UI) it also enables `prefers-color-scheme: dark` for websites. These are always synced as far as I know.

Thank you, I edited in (dark chrome) for clarity.

"Chrome" here refers to windows and widgets surrounding content, not the browser specifically.

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

#123

All I can say is :shrug: As soon as I left the comfortable worlds of Apple ][ and MS-DOS and got shoved into Windows 3.0, I pined for a dark screen and started fucking with the color profile. When I was 12. When I started running Solaris and Linux boxes in college, always had a dark terminal, and wrote my code in vi. The older I get, the more I crave the darkness, and the UX bros are accommodating me. Maybe it's just…

It is interesting how different people have different experiences. I grew up in the days of green monochrome terminals and monitors, and hated them. I bought an amber monitor as soon as they became available, and that helped a bit with the eyestrain.

Windows 3, Word for Windows and TSE were a godsend to me. Finally, I could read and write code and documents the way I thought they were intended to be viewed- dark text on a light background, mimicking real-world books and papers.

Today, I do use dark mode; my devices are set up to go dark late at night, in case I wake up and want to check something without burning my eyes. But that comprises a miniscule amount of the time I spend in front of a screen.

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

#125
Here here. I hate hate hate light text on dark backgrounds. I have to work harder to read, and as soon as I look away, I see ghosting everywhere for a few seconds. Complete rubbish dark mode is. I have blue eyes, ~-6.5 near-sighted correction, and a pretty bad astigmatism, so this may have something to do with it.

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

#126
post #2

I primarily use dark mode when I am in the dark or in a dimly lit room. Having any light blasted right into my eyes hurts. And ruins my night vision. And also messes with my sleep.

Agreed—the article is sort of silly in that it debunks a bunch of bogus claims about dark mode, but then completely overlooks the main legitimate use, which is to limit exposure to artificial light at night. You basically want to get as much light during the day as is safely possible to stay focused and alert (note that this can be counterindicated for people with certain health conditions, like glaucoma), and then limit light exposure as much as possible at night in order to be able to fall asleep and keep your circadian rhythms healthy. More information here, e.g. https://hubermanlab.com/dr-samer-hattar-timing-light-food-ex...

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

#127
Dark mode doesn't work for me, probably due to astigmatism.

But working most of the day in front of the screen causes eye strain. So, I tried `redshift` and that helped. These days I keep it at 3000K all the time. And I found that reading on my big computer screen with redshift is less straining compared to Kindle.

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

#129
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 actually dont understand why other people can work in a dimly lit space and having dark mode on their monitor. It make feel so lazy and gloomy.

Not everyone's bodies work the same. Working too long in a brightly lit room makes me extremely tired. The only way I can work long hours is in simulated twilight.
Post reply on HN