<p>I just received my new Macbook for my “big” birthday. I am slowly learning the diferences between windows and the Mac, and so far I am enjoying my laptop. </p>
<p>I do have a big problem that I hope isn’t really a problem-my eyes are killing me from the screen! They almost feel like they are burning if that makes any sense. I have tried turning the brightness down, but that hasn’t helped any. It isn’t that the font is to small, I really feel the screen is too bright; almost like looking into the sun.</p>
<p>While my daughter would love to get this laptop if I really can’t use it, I am hoping there is some setting or something I can do to make this work for me. What am I missing? I thought I might go to the Apple store on Monday and ask, but I thought I would check here first.</p>
<p>I really don’t want to get a different laptop, but if I can’t figure out what to do, then this family will be the owner of yet another Dell. Help me out here guys!!</p>
<p>snowball: I’ve always used Macs, both desktop and laptop, and I really like them–wouldn’t use anything else. However, I agree with you about the screens. I think they are way too bright. I find myself just turning down the brightness which has helped me a lot. Sorry I have nothing constructive to offer, except that I agree. Since I’ve never used anything else, I assumed they were all like that. Let us know what the Apple store folks say.</p>
<p>You can turn down screen brightness on the keyboard with the F1 key. The F2 key will turn the brightness up. I really like the bright screen, but at least now you’ll know how to control it.</p>
<p>My husband is playing on my computer now to see if it si just me, or if it is really that bright. I have turned the brightness down yesterday, but really didn’t notice a difference. I will try changing the background once I figure out how to do that!!</p>
<p>I keep other lights on in the room. (Remember your mom yelling at you for watching TV in a dark room.) You can change your display to make objects larger including the font. Go to preferences, then displays and then fool around until you like the appearance. You can also adjust the brightness.</p>
<p>You can also try changing the color schemes to see if you can get one more pleasing to your eye. Perhaps a combination of changing the colors and turning down the screen brightness will work for you. I like the screen’s brighteness, but I always have lights on in the room. If the lights are out, I turn the brightness all the way down. I notice a large difference with that; do you think it’s just still not enough for you, or do you think maybe the brightness on your computer doesn’t turn down correctly? </p>
<p>Well, you can go to System Preferences -> Display -> Color and change to one of the other settings and see whether that makes any significant difference. None of them changes my perception of the brightness very much, but this may be different for you.</p>
<p>The thing I was actually going to suggest I can’t find anymore! I found it by accident once, but I can’t locate it anywhere under “System Preferences.” It changed the overall appearance of the color scheme. One was yellower looking, one greyer, bluer, etc. I thought that maybe having a more yellow tone would help your eyes, but I’ve been looking all over my computer for a while now, and I can’t seem to find it. Perhaps you should call Apple for advice?</p>
<p>The Macbook has a glossy screen unlike most consumer laptops which have matte screens. Glossy screens reflect light more but they offer better color contrast. Matte screens on the other hand have a dull feel but they are easier on the eyes. That is probably the reason for your discomfort.</p>
<p>Make sure the environment you’re using it in is properly lit (not too bright, not too dim) since that can affect how it affects your eyes.</p>
<p>Going under System Properties-Display-Color (as suggested above) can also be an option, though I don’t know how much that would help.</p>
<p>You can also go under System Properties-Universal Access and fiddle around. You can increase the contrast, or even invert the colors (try it! you may actually find that it’s easier on the eyes, though it’s not a practical solution by any means)</p>
<p>Also, after using it a while the brightness seems to go down a bit. This is partially due to the fact that your eyes adjust and also partially because the brightness dims a bit with the age of the laptop.</p>
<p>I have messed with the brightness and the resolution without much success. The other laptops in the house also have the glossy screen, not matte so I am use to that; my desktop is a matte screen though. I have the brightness down below 50%; seems like that would be enough to make a difference. I do have the resolution on the best, but when I lowered it I didn’t notice a change.</p>
<p>My husband didn’t find the screen too bright for him, so maybe my eyes are just very sensitive! I don’t think the brightness bothered me the first night I used it and the only thing I know I changed from that time was making my web pages full screen instead of just showing in a smaller window. </p>
<p>I will try more lighting around me; I do have a habit of using the laptops while watching tv with very little light on in the room. I also haven’t used the Mac at my desk yet so maybe that will also make a difference.</p>
<p>You can also calibrate your monitor with the system settings to change the white point</p>
<p>You can also tilt the screen away/toward you until it is more comfortable- but I have never heard of this problem.
I also agree with having lights on in the room-
( does driving at night bother you? you may have a vitamin deficency)</p>
<p>I think if I needed to calibrate the monitor or mess with the color I will wait until I go to the Apple Store and let them help me; I don’t want to change something and not remember how to get it back!</p>
<p>This might sound silly, but it almost feels like I am looking at a flourescent light which is causing me to get a headache. When I go away from the sceen for a while my eyes feel better, but as soon as I come back, it starts all over again.</p>
<p>I am trying to move the sceen some as well as playing with the brightness. I am hoping this will improve as I do like the computer.</p>
<p>I just returned home from the Apple Store where I spoke with my salesman as well as a tech from the Genius Bar. I was told by both that they had never heard of someone with eye trouble from the screen. I had them look at my screen and check my settings just to make sure I hadn’t changed something inadvertently. All looked good to both of them so I have come to the conclusion that my eyes don’t love the Mac!</p>
<p>I am going to give it more time to see if my eyes will adjust and fiddle with the lighting in the room. I spent a hour on my desktop last night without a problem, then when to my Macbook. Within a matter of minutes my eyes were stinging. This is the weirdest thing; I am beginning to think I am going crazy!</p>
<p>snowball: Thanks for posting your update. I don’t think you’re ging crazy. I also find the Mac screen too bright. Not working in dim light (with the computer screen as the brightest light in the room) helps, though, as does just lowering the screen brightness with the appropriate key. Still, I also find my eyes stinging after a while, which just says to me that I’m working on the computer way too much . . .</p>
<p>Ok, if I am not going crazy then I am showing my age! This was a birthday gift for the big 5-0; if I hadn’t just been for my yearly eye exam, I might have gone to have my eyes checked to see if something was wrong. Since I have mo trouble with my desktop or the other PC laptops, I have to assume it is the Mac. </p>
<p>I can spend hours on the other computers without eye burn, so I am hoping my eyes will adjust to the Mac.</p>
<p>The other thought I had-- I wonder if the light is just more blue (or something) on the Macs. Have you noticed that some of the newer model cars have these awful blue headlights-- not a warm amber tone-- but sort of blue-white, which is great when you’re driving one, but if those headlights come at me while I’m driving, they nearly blind me and give me an instant headache. I have no idea how the headlights are different, but they do appear as an almost blue white, so I’m wonderfing if the Mac screens have backlights that are closer to that range, with no amber in them at all, and it’s the same sort of effect.</p>
<p>I did ask at the store about white balance, but your thought makes sense. My husband has those blue lights and you are right, they are blinding! I may try an anti glare film, but before I put that on the screen I might get one that is used for a desktop and just hold it over the screen to see if that makes a difference or not.</p>
<p>I also don’t seem to have as much trouble at night on the sofa which makes me wonder if it is just the glare from the big window behind me during the day.</p>
<p>I really HATE those new blue/white headlights. </p>
<p>I have an iBook that is two years old and haven’t noticed any eye strain or color difference compared to my much older Mac desktop or my H’s PC. But perhaps it’s something new from Mac. Or perhaps you just have a dud, you might bring it in to the store to compare with the same model.</p>
<p>BTW, my husband swears by an anti-glare something or other that is built into his reading/computer glasses. He says they make it for people who use computers a lot. If you are due for new glasses, you might ask the optometrist about that, if you don’t have it already. (I wear contacts so I don’t have first-hand experience, but H raves about the difference in glare and eye strain).</p>