new macbook air eye strain

i do hope this is corrected in their next model. have you tried a 3m privacy filter ? there does seem to be a distinct difference between the screen quality of 2011 and 2012 mba's. 2011 being much softer and easier on the eyes.

I am going to look into the 3m privacy filter and see if that helps. I have an older Mac and it's definitely easier on the eyes.

I just wanted to be sure people were aware of the potential concern and get a macular degeneration test.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I tried the 3M privacy filter on my sister's 15" unibody macbook pro and it didn't work for me.

Though I'd wager it's worth trying since there isn't any other solution out there at the moment.

I know I'm kind of late to the discussion but I've had the exact same issue and I've been able to simply solve it by installing f.lux, have it work also throughout the day and also cut the brightness in half.

I had horrible headaches every day, it took me a while to find out where they came from but since I've made those changes - nothing at all! Hope that helps :)

Not sure if this will help anyone but I use the Free App Called f.lux which reduces the blue light of the screen down to a lower flux level which can be adjusted to taste - Seems to help me

I have exactly the same problem. I bought a Macbook Air about two months ago and have barely used it because the display is too hard on my eyes and it gives me headaches. I've tried using the f.lux application and it helps a little, but not quite enough. I haven't yet tried a 3M Privacy Filter. Ironically enough, I had the same visual problems with a first-gen iPad that I had several years ago. By comparison, I have a Windows PC connected to a HP z24 24" monitor that has a matte (as opposed to glossy) screen, and I can use it for hours and hours without any eyestrain, and only minimal fatigue.

Sure, I could solve the problem by just hooking the MBA up to my 24" monitor, but that's not what I bought it for.

So, I'm at the stage where I am seriously considering selling the Macbook Air and getting a Windows laptop instead. Selling it would be a shame, because the Macbook Air is otherwise a lovely laptop, given its very light weight, long battery life and smooth, easy usability. And while Macs tend to have good resale value, I'd still lose a little money if I sell it.

No other laptop, regardless of OS or make, comes close to the MBA in terms of portability and battery life, in my experience. I also I find the SSD in my Macbook Air makes the OS very efficient and quick. I can edit and render video as quickly as I can on my desktop PC which has a Core i7 processor, even though the MBA has only a 1.4GHz dual-core i5 processor.

It's a shame the display is so bad in real-world use, because when you look at it in the store for the first time, it looks fantastic.