Level 1

39 points

Eye strain/pain headaches with MacBook Pro 14 2023

I am writing to you today to express my disappointment with the recent purchase of a MacBook Pro 14 2023, which I ordered online in Paris and brought to Turkiye where I currently reside. Within just 20-30 minutes of use, I noticed that it is difficult for me to focus on any text or picture. Furthermore, my eyes quickly became strained and stressed, leading to a feeling of discomfort, as if there was sand in my eyes. The discomfort only worsened over time, and I suffered from a strong headache that made it impossible for me to read a book, watch TV or just sit with eyes opened.

I have been working with computers all my life, and I have never experienced anything like this before. I have owned CRT monitors, Sony Vaio, Lenovo X1 Carbon, and have never felt any discomfort, even when working long hours during hackathons. I have done some research on this issue and found that I am not alone, as many people have complained about similar problems with the new MacBook displays. Some even created a petition on change.org, highlighting the issue.

I have tried various solutions such as scaling, True Tone, Night Shift, etc., but nothing has helped me. Also I tried third party apps like Flux app, BetterDisplay, Switchresx with no effect. I think that such a device worth 3100 euros should work well just out of the box, without third party apps or running terminal commands that I do not understand. Whenever I work with the MacBook, I get strained eyes, a headache, and my day is ruined. I am kind of scared for my health. After 1-2 days pause my eyes get better. When I work on my old Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon - everything is OK.

I have read on the internet that these issues could be related to the new modern retina displays with technologies such as PWM and dithering. These technologies aim to offer more realistic colors (10 bit), but they are causing discomfort and health issues for some users like me. As a MacBook Pro user, my primary use of the device is for coding and web surfing, and I do not require advanced display features such as photography or video making.

Therefore, I would like to request your professional advice on how to disable these new modern technologies to have a simple and less colorful display that would not cause any discomfort. I have tried experimenting with various settings, but this has only worsened my symptoms, and I am afraid to continue doing so. I need a simple and proven set of instructions that will help me address this issue without harming my health.

Considering the fact that I am not the only one experiencing this issue, I am wondering if it would be possible to get in touch with the Apple engineering team to investigate and potentially find a solution. It could be related to dithering, PWM, or some other factor, but I am willing to test any recommendation they may have and provide feedback on the results. I believe this could be of great benefit to many MacBook users who are struggling with eye strain, and could also prompt Apple to release a settings update or fix to address the issue.

According to some user reports, using the old MacBook display preset called "sRGB" is better for the eyes. However, if I choose this preset in the display settings, I am unable to adjust the brightness as it is blocked on Mac OS Ventura. Currently, the only presets that allow brightness adjustment are "Apple XDR Display (P3-1600 nits)" and "Apple Display (P3-500 nits)". Is there a way to adjust the brightness on other presets in OS Ventura?

To summarize the previous discussion and suggestions found on the internet, I have the following questions:

- Is it feasible to disable temporal dithering on Mac OS Ventura?

- Can PWM be disabled?

- Is it possible to adjust the brightness on display presets besides "Apple XDR Display (P3-1600 nits)" and "Apple Display (P3-500 nits)"?

- Can the color depth be reduced in Mac OS Ventura?

- Are there any tests to verify if the above changes have been disabled or not?

- Do you have any additional advice to help resolve this issue?

When I contacted the technical support and after-sales department, they advised me to return the MacBook to an Apple Store. However, since I bought it in Paris, France, and currently reside in Turkey, it poses a logistical challenge for me to comply with their suggestion.

[Link Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.2

Posted on Apr 8, 2023 8:21 AM

Best reply

adetunji97

Level 1

10 points

Posted on Jun 24, 2023 12:09 AM

I am currently experiencing the same issue, my eyeballs get very itchy and red with severe pain the next morning whenever I use my laptop at night.

I recently got MacBook Pro M2 14-Inch 2023 16GB RAM 1TB, First I was very excited thinking I got my worth for the money but little did I know I will be totally discouraged.

I am very afraid now, my eyes' health is deteriorating. I think Apple should look into this issues before it gets out of hand.

I was using MacBook AIr, and I never had this issue.

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Similar questions

61 replies

Dec 21, 2023 12:49 PM in response to birdybirdybirdy

<<. The instant eye pain and headache is excruciating. >>

Then close that device and get a display that does not do you damage as you use it.

My recommendations above just 'nibbles around the edges'.

Nik.Kov

Level 1

12 points

Feb 28, 2024 9:33 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

To reduce eye strain try next settings:

In settings-monitor:

color profile - "Photography"

Frequency - "pro motion"

In terminal:

defaults write -g CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool 1

defaults -currentHost write -g AppleFontSmoothing -int 1

Hope this message wouldn't be deleted.

Also got to say that external monitor didn't help with eye strain. Only these settings.

[Edited by Moderator]

Jan 22, 2024 4:48 PM in response to je-bert

<<. disable PWM for brightness. >>

if you were able to literally do so, your display would remain at its MAXIMUM brightness at all times, with NO reduction whatsoever. That would be blindingly bright.

PWM turns the backlight off for tiny fractions of a second to reduce the average brightness to something that MOST people find more tolerable. If you do not find it tolerable, we have been told to have you stop using the display and contact Apple support:

Official Apple Support

Dec 21, 2023 10:49 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Could you please walk me through what to do? The instant eye pain and headache is excruciating

Jan 2, 2024 11:42 AM in response to umnfan10

umnfan10 wrote:

I got a stye after using my M2 MacBook Air for a week. Thought that was pretty odd. I’ve never gotten a stye before.

How could your computer have given you a bacterial infection?

Jan 2, 2024 1:38 PM in response to umnfan10

umnfan10 wrote:

My eye strain was very bad. Maybe I was messing with it more than usual.

A stye has nothing to do with "eye strain". It's a bacterial infection.

Jan 22, 2024 9:24 PM in response to je-bert

The 13” M2 (touchbar) has a plain retina display and has been working very well for me.

Only issue is - you’ll have to get a refurb or a used one as the model has been discontinued very quickly.

Mar 7, 2024 4:13 AM in response to reycletechno

i actually had the same problem for a while, until i turned night shift on. then that helped for a good bit.

then i turned night shift off and i've never had that problem ever again.

Apr 30, 2023 7:08 AM in response to reycletechno

With proper lighting, screen brightness, Display text size adjustment, and a good Optometrist prescription for computer viewing (which I have), that may lead to reduced eyestrain and headaches.

Did you not have an opportunity while in Paris to visit an Apple Store and spend some time with this device to determine if there were early detection of issues before purchase?

Jun 30, 2023 7:14 AM in response to old-eyes-on-macbook-pro

old-eyes-on-macbook-pro wrote:

I'm looking for settings that would make it easier for me to read the display on my MacBook Pro. My problem is that I'm an older person who has difficulty reading fine print. Thanks for any help!

I use reading glasses when using the computer. Works very well for me. If you wear prescription glasses, check with your optometrist. They may be able to give you a prescription for glasses to wear when using the computer.

Jun 30, 2023 9:57 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

BobTheFisherman wrote:

I use reading glasses when using the computer. Works very well for me. If you wear prescription glasses, check with your optometrist. They may be able to give you a prescription for glasses to wear when using the computer.

When I actually went to the eye doctor for reading glasses, as opposed to buying them in bulk on Amazon, I got progressive lenses that have a section in the middle for looking at computers and one at the bottom for reading. It's not perfect but it's pretty darn good now that I'm used to them.

Jul 3, 2023 6:54 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Mine are actually trifocals as the optometrist felt a need to correct for an exceedingly mild astigmatism that I’ve always had but no one ever felt was by itself enough to warrant glasses. But, at least if I forget to take them off (as I often do with readers) I don’t find myself wondering why the world is so blurry.

Dec 21, 2023 9:00 AM in response to reycletechno

on displays that use Pulse Width Modulation, the backlight Brightness is inherently fully bright, and it is switched OFF more and more frequently to get lower backlight levels.

Backlight switching/flashing is more intense when the brightness level is LOW.

Completely counter-intuitively, Dark mode is likely to be much worse than Light mode, and dim is likely to be much more flashing and dithering that Bright.

Jan 2, 2024 12:31 PM in response to IdrisSeabright

IdrisSeabright wrote:

umnfan10 wrote:

I got a stye after using my M2 MacBook Air for a week. Thought that was pretty odd. I’ve never gotten a stye before.

How could your computer have given you a bacterial infection?

Well, you know that computers can get viruses 😈

umnfan10

Level 1

8 points

Jan 3, 2024 7:51 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Exactly. Not saying the MacBook was a direct cause. But my eyes were definitely feeling some type of strain that I haven’t felt before. I do automotive equipment sales from home and work on cars as my hobby so you can see how that adds up I guess. I snagged the m2 MacBook Air thinking it would be nice for workflow while I’m out and about. Maybe I’m getting old and need to look into getting glasses now who knows.

Eye strain/pain headaches with MacBook Pro 14 2023