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

Similar questions

69 replies

Dec 13, 2023 10:52 AM in response to reycletechno

Hello, did you ever find a solution? I am in agony every time I turn on my new Mac, there is something wrong with the screen. Any ideas on adjusting anything to help? Why on earth would Mac put out this weird screen?

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'.

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 😈

Jan 2, 2024 5:35 PM in response to umnfan10

If your eyes are bothering you it is likely that you rub or touch them. If your fingers aren’t scrupulously clean you can deposit bacteria on your eyelids, and the natural lubrication under your lids is an excellent culture medium.

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.

Jan 22, 2024 5:06 PM in response to je-bert

adjusting the brightness with software does nothing additional that you can not already do with the brightness slider.

I think you should contact Apple support. They have access to internal information and programs that we do not have.

Apr 15, 2024 3:57 AM in response to reycletechno

I have an older MacBook that I keep updating the system on.

If I spend more than two hours straight on it, I will spend the next 48 hours not sleeping extremely grumpy, angry anxious and with vision problems. This is happening for over a decade and people know this Americans don’t care about anybody but themselves And the buck

Apr 15, 2024 9:37 AM in response to DilansMACbeth

DilansMACbeth wrote:

I have an older MacBook that I keep updating the system on.

If I spend more than two hours straight on it, I will spend the next 48 hours not sleeping extremely grumpy, angry anxious and with vision problems. This is happening for over a decade and people know this Americans don’t care about anybody but themselves And the buck

If you spent two hours straight staring at ANYTHING, even Michelangelo’s stature of David, you would have the same symptoms.

Apr 15, 2024 6:40 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Not true. You don't know me.

You know what they say about those who assume.

I'm a musician of three instruments, have been a stock broker, designer, architect, and retired at 42.

My eyes have been used for plenty and I have 20/10 vision with a 160 IQ.

I also taught myself coding and developed some of the big websites you visit.

[Edited by Moderator]

May 4, 2024 3:11 PM in response to reycletechno

I have exact same problem.

MacBook 2020 M1 and iPhone 13 mini did it to me. Extremely painful eyes, redness, itchiness, tiredness, heavy closing eyelids, puffiness and bags under eyes. Visited numerous ophthalmologists with no help. Having these devices removed helped.

Jun 3, 2024 11:32 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I understand you want to help, but this is not personal health issue, its hardware or software issue at apple. The reason for that - most people can check in parallel older intel macbooks or windows machines and have no symptoms. I can personally confirm - apple has some issues with its GPU rendering part and it is damaging your eyes.

Jun 3, 2024 11:39 PM in response to reycletechno

So I now bought a 50$ 300 nits external display and Im fine with throwing this one over my built-in Macbook screen and connecting it via USBC

With the built-in screen, Ive noticed that I can work with it outside in the shade in strong sunlight (around the tropics), but not further up north where sunlight isnt as strong

I also tried my old MBP (2018) with 500 nits and that also seems to be fine

I guess the issue is just with the new 1600 nits 2023 MBP display brightness, and also maybe the newscreen tech is also an issue

Jul 2, 2024 1:04 PM in response to thaibarto

thaibarto--

Your "Me, Too" posting has landed on page FIVE of a very busy discussion. There are MANY solutions already posted here. Your job is to read them all. Demanding answers when many are already posted here is not helpful for anyone, including you.

MN_S

Level 1

8 points

Jul 23, 2024 6:00 AM in response to reycletechno

im having the same problem with my macbook air M3. its stressing me out cos i cant work long time on this device. i have recently bought blue light filter glasses, thinking of getting a blue light filter screen protector too. not sure if that will help if the problem is not bluelight related.

Apr 30, 2023 6:14 AM in response to Melih Seckin

sorry for word mistakes..

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Eye strain/pain headaches with MacBook Pro 14 2023