Hey mbpm1,
While it's possible this is a hardware issue, it's tough to determine if what you're seeing is acceptable or not from our end.
The steps we provided initially, can help determine if this is more related to a hardware component. When booting into safe mode, it will prevent your Mac from loading certain software as it starts up, including login items, system extensions not required by macOS, and fonts not installed by macOS. This is a good isolating step to help rule out possible software related causes.
When logging into a new user account, this can help us determine if the issue is seen from all users, making it a system-wide issue. Do you notice if the said bleed stays the same, or changes in size/character by any mean?
Most importantly, if you boot into macOS Recovery, and the display concern is still seen while in recovery mode, then it is likely hardware-related. For that, we would recommend reaching out to Apple Support directly, to discuss options to get your Mac inspected in-person and serviced if needed: Contact Apple Support
Hope that helps.