Retina Display MacBook Pro eye problem and strain

Done. The specialist conclusion is what we all are taking about here. We have spent thousands of dollars in a computer that needs to get the resolution adjusted to lower, dim the brightness, and use a blue light filter and a anti glare filter..... I've lost close sight, and suffer astigmatism, after 4 months using my new laptop, as video editor....... Before that I used other machines, for years, never had any problem, perfect sight...... I can tell you, this issue is gonna escalate until Apple and other brands will face the consequences....

cutterbump wrote:

Sigh...

I was not asking for an eye diagnosis—I am asking if anyone using this 2017 iMac desktop has experienced similar eye burning issues (since this thread has been going on for a few years). If so, then I know that it might be the computer rather than my lovely eyes.

I'm sure there are people using any device with a screen who suffer irritated/burning/sore eyes. This is likely dependent on the viewing environment, brightness, eye sensitivity, time of day, tiredness, air quality, dirty glasses, wrong prescription for computer work, etc. Asking if others suffer from sore eyes accomplishes nothing but the obvious, people suffer from sore eyes for many reasons. See a doctor if you are concerned about your eye health.

G'day all

I strongly suspect that the described effect is achieved by Apple introducing temporal color dithering aka FRC in the display drivers. They basically buy a lot of panels, and let's just say not of the best color abilities. They need the color dithering to simulate better color, esp the new DCI-P3 attempt that is marketed as having 25% more color - true, just not at the same time. Your brain is supposed to aggregate the quick color changes into a bigger color space. When it refuses so, you feel all sort of drama.

I may think of starting a pet-iti-on to Apple to pay up for more organic screens with at least true 8-bit color, or at least to have software option to turn off temporal color dithering - but then the colors will look worse on those 6-bit panels i reckon. From the customer PoV, please demand true 8-bit panels and stick to sRGB gamut screens without PWM and you'll be right like

Wow! Really constructive response there, sig. In checking your responses to other threads I can see they are equally as helpful.

Ben, I had a similar issue with my eyes and the display as you've been experiencing. What worked for me was to turn down the brightness of the display a few ticks from maximum. It's almost as if the display is so sharp and contrasty that my eyes had trouble focusing due to, for lack of a better phrase, a halo-ing effect with text.

Don't get me wrong. The display is gorgeous and the best I've ever seen or owned but at maximum brightness, especially in a reduced lighting environment, it's overload for my eyes. It's not the displays fault but rather my old crummy eyes.

I also invested $15 in a cheap pair of reading glasses which has also made an improvement.

Turn the brightness down a few ticks and let us know if that helped.

"I also invested $15 in a cheap pair of reading glasses which has also made an improvement."

Wow! Really constructive suggestion there Easton1813. Cheap for your eyes is good. Don't recommend it for others.

@Imd.Ben, anashed and Easton1813:

I've had this same problem for about two years now with my 59 year old eyes (how in the world could THEY be the problem?) and a 15" MBP mid 2009 which of course is not retina display. I can work all day on my iPad and my iPhone, and on my MBP when plugged into several brands of 23" monitors at home and work spaced at about 34" (864 mm) from screen to eyes.

However, an hour on my MBP by itself (someone else's office, a hotel room, an airplane, my lazy sofa) and my eyes lose the ability to focus --and I'm toast.

I too find helpful the tips you three kindly recount. Still, I sure wish there were a magic bullet which made everything like it used to be back in the day (2009).

(PS: @Sig:You're sounding pretty much like a 12 year old troll around here. Not saying you are one. Just saying that you pretty much sound exactly like one. Thought you might wanna know, 'specially if that's not how you intend to sound...)

an hour on my MBP by itself (someone else's office, a hotel room, an airplane, my lazy sofa) and my eyes lose the ability to focus --and I'm toast.

Ok, I'll explain why.

First off your iPad and iPhone screen is smaller, thus doesn't reflect as much as a larger display will.

Your other displays are in a static environment where you have reduced the glare or it's been reduced just by chance.

When you take the glossy screen laptop to another location without adequate environmental features to reduce glare imposed (no overhead lights, closed windows, low light etc.) on the screen, thus your getting eyestrain from the glare.

It's caused by the slightly out of focus reflections verses the screen image, your eyes are automatically refocusing between the two images.

Your solution in this matter is to apply a anti-glare film to the laptops glossy screen, unfortunately it's going to cost money and be replaced often as it gets dirty, dries out and peels at edges etc.

Ideally a anti-glare matte screen would be the choice in the first place. I use my Mac for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and don't have the eyestrain problem anymore.

Hi Ben.

Glad to read your post. I have the same concerns...

I have excellent eyesight. I am 43, but have had no problems with my eyes or sight. Recently (November) purchased the rMBP, and have noticed that my eyes will not find sharp focus for quite a while after I have used my rMBP or iPad (3 - also purchased in the fall). I would have thought it was a problem with using computers in general, but I was using a 2009 MBP for four years prior to this on a daily basis with no problems, and an iMac for three years before that - no problems. It is not just a slight blur that clears up after a few minutes. It is as if my eyes can't hone in on something and focus for quite a while. This is something I have never experienced. Annoying, because as I said - never had any eye problems. The age issue, of course, left me wondering. But if it were natural changes due to aging, I would probably notice it happening in other lighting situations. It is glaringly noticeable after I turn off my electronics and move onto something else. And I eat plenty of carrots, in case anyone was wondering.

Hello rinner, I have just read your post and have the exactly the same issue. I sort of feel like the retina display is so sharp that the eyes see anything else after that as blurry....any ideas how to deal with this issue? It's really a shame since the display, indeed, looks very crisp, fonts are smooth, and graphics are beautiful. The problem is long term useability. I'd appreciate any feedback you might have. Thanks

I have an iPad 3 with retina display andI have the same problem with burning eyes despite setting for brightness turned low. I visited the Apple Store and discussed the issue and was surprised to learn that Apple does not make a matte finish anti-glare screen for iPad 3. Do you have any suggestions about who manufactures anti-glare film and where to purchase? Any alternate solutions. Thanks so much for helpful hints. Betty Ann

I have had the Retina Macbook Pro for about three months and my eyes now have majore problems all the time. I have used a sony vaio solidly for about 4.5 years, prior to that a Dell, and HP, etc. Never, never have had any eye problems until getting the Macbook Pro Retina. I have been to the doctor and they diagnosed me with peosterior vitreous detachment...one month ago, it was only in my right eye. Now it is in the left too. Could lead to blindness if it doesn't get better. Again, I have never had any problems until getting this computer.

All I can say is that it is not worth it and the MBP Retina is not a thing I would recommend to anyone who has to spend more than aobut an hour a day on a computer. Don't go blind like I am doiing because of this computer.

Like the others, it started with eye strain and rapidly progressed to much worse. My vision is almost constantly blurred.

Telll your family and friends to avoid this problem by avoidning this computer.

"Like the others, it started with eye strain and rapidly progressed to much worse. My vision is almost constantly blurred."

Likewise, my vision too, not contantly blurred, but it has gone down quite a bit, (after the initial eye strain).

There are several reasons for eyestrain with an LCD display, but one of the less obvious ones is too high of a screen resolution! Your eyes focus on tiny, sharply defined edges in the center of their view. An older display (e.g., iPad 2) has big pixels that are defined by a black boarder around each pixel, and that has a sharp edge that you can focus on. With high resolution displays (Retina and others) your eye cannot see the pixel edge and so has nothing it can focus on. The pixel itself is too big and has soft and glowey edges and does not help you focus,

As an aside, if you look at an iPhone, the distance from the edge of the display (which you can focus on) to the center of the display is a very short distance and your eye will naturally see (or glance at) the edge of the display often enough to keep itself in focus even when looking at the center of the screen. With an iPad the screen is so big that you aren't normally aware of the edge and so your eye relies on the center of the screen for focus clues and there aren't any,

Fixes have been proposed:

Lower the brightness - this kind of works for lower resolution displays because it lowers the glowey (halation) and allows your eyes to see the pixel edge better, but it doesn't make much difference on the high res displays (unless the brightness is way out of adjustment).

Install a screen protector or security screen - These plastic screens have imperfections or actual visible features that your eye can focus on, so your eye stops trying to focus on the pixel and focuses on the imperfections in the plastic and uses that as a proxy for the focus point of the actual pixel. The more perfect the screen protector, the less effective it is in allowing you to focus on the screen.

This effect is not Apple-centric, it can be seen on the Nexus 7 and other high res displays and aside from the suggestions above, it is baked into high res screens. The effect may be reduced by the use of a mat display because you can see the texture of the mat surface and may be able to focus on it, but I have not done that experiment (i.e., sanding the front face of a glossy display)

The stobing of an LED backlight (which see the MacBook Pro) can create issues, but I think the above will be found to be the source of the many problems as we transistion to higher res displays.

Reducing the display resolution has worked for me. I do not have any noticeable/immediate signs of eye strain after switching to lower res.

Currently my display is set at the resolution setting between "Larger Text" and "Best (Retina)", reachable from System Preferences > displays > (Scaled).

I have a new (one month old) MacBookPro w/retina display. Bought with most speed, memory, etc. Top of the line. Previously had a MacBook Pro (2008).

In the last month I have started experiencing eye problems. Styes, dryness, flashes, floaters. Yesterday I had a torn retina repaired. A tear can become a detached retina which can lead to blindness. Blindness. I have never worn glasses - very good eye health before now. Thinking it through the only change in my life in the last month has been this computer. With Retina Display.

Is it too much for our retinas?

Yes, the display/images are gorgeous. But at the risk of blindness?

What to do? Cannot buy another Mac.