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Temporal Dithering eyestrain / fatigue

Hi all,


The purpose of this post is to raise awareness, help each other, and unify our voice regarding the (alleged) adverse health effects of temporal dithering.


I will frequently update this thread with resources and interesting finds.


Apple support advised me to leave feedback. So please do so as well through this link: https://www.apple.com/feedback/

Ask Apple to offer an accessibility option to disable temporal dithering.


Also, please share with us:

1- your experience and symptoms

2- your computer model

3- the GPU used in your computer

4- did anything work to help?

5- do you have any resources for this (is it really temporal dithering? other potential culprits?...)



I will start with my experience:


I am a longtime user of screens, primarily Apple products. I only started having problems when I recently got the new 13" 2020 MacBook Pro (Intel Iris Plus Graphics). I got terrible eye strain and headaches from using the computer for a few hours. No other device has ever caused me similar issues, and even now other devices (e.g. iPad Air 2, iMac 2017, Sony Xperia phone...etc) don't cause me issues.

My struggle with this new screen was to the extent that after using the computer for ~4 hours , it felt like I could see but my mind could no longer properly process what I was seeing! I got really scared because it felt like I was blind while I could actually see (really hard to explain).


I did my research and a few people blamed temporal dithering of being the culprit. I contacted Apple support, and they said we can't disable temporal dithering, but they suggested changing the scaling of the display and the color profile. These suggestions did not solve the problem, although changing the scaling made me a bit more comfortable to use the screen - but still it is not optimal and the strain/fatigue effects are still there.



Thanks! Hopefully we can figure out a solution for this together soon!

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Jul 13, 2020 8:42 AM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Aug 27, 2020 7:26 AM

Hey, chiming in here. I have a Late 2019 MBP 16" and I am experiencing very similar symptoms and issues. Again, I am someone who sits in front of screens endlessly. Upgraded about 4 months ago from my MBP 2014, which never gave any issues. Immediately I felt a really bad nausea, and this inability to focus on words on the screen. There is definitely something going on. It is almost like all the words have a 'digital ghost' this cloud of unclearness, almost like double vision or slightly crossing your eyes so that they are not focused...


I encourage people to dismiss anyone who provides any non-constructive feedback like go see a doctor, or adjust the resolution or brightness. No, there is an actual deep underlying technical malfeasance that most people don't understand, and the problem is for people with sensitive eyes, another thing most people won't understand. I even spoke with a senior tech partner at Apple and he didn't even know what temporal dithering was.


Here is the culprit as far as I've gotten with little information and no solution:

Based on the symptoms and collective user feedback it seems like the issue comes from temporal dithering. With the new screens that promise 'billions of colors' they don't actually offer a complete screen full of rich static pixels. Instead in the place of pixels there are these mini nodes that flicker back and forth rapidly (dither), presumably filling the space with an even richer viewing experience. The caveat is that while many with the naked eye may not notice, the perceived vs. real reaction on the eyes is quite straining.


As far as I understand this is graphics card based. Indeed when I use an external monitor with my MBP 16" it has the same stressful result on my eyes. From what users have mentioned, PC versions/builds running a comperable graphics card can have temporal dithering disabled but on mac OS it cannot be.


Solutions?

I have read mention of modifying the settings in OpenGL which I do not know how to do or initiate.


Also possible solution mentioned by this third party page which actually seems to be the source that addresses the issue most head on. The only issues is they offer a solution involving some sort of enterprise based hardware/software solution.

file:///Users/sexynerds/Downloads/AN_057_Temporal_Dithering_on_macOS%20(1).pdf


Another solution I have heard mentioned is the idea of rolling back your Mac OS to a version that is pre 2017 which is when this started by most user responses and theories.


Conclusion:

In the beginning this was really bad for me. I actually returned a 15" and got a 16" hoping it would go away. I placebo'd thru it for a while and now have returned to the topic. After a while of watching or looking, either at desktop range or viewing from a bed say watching a show, I get this eye strain and this blotchiness and temporary lack of focus. It is very scary.


I am 31, never had glasses, consider myself to have great vision and after a few minutes or prolonged use on the MBP 16" my vision starts deteriorating in a very scary way. After 3-4 months I have returned to this issue because the ability to focus or retain a workflow with this device is incredibly difficult.


If I do not find a clear cut solution to end this issue, I may have to sell off this device. I probably would part ways with Apple going forward for this. From a reliability and performance perspective I wouldn't want to but this is too much, for a daily computer for creative work.


Thanks, and please share any experiences, solutions, or leads.

Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Aug 27, 2020 7:26 AM in response to Astrolabium

Hey, chiming in here. I have a Late 2019 MBP 16" and I am experiencing very similar symptoms and issues. Again, I am someone who sits in front of screens endlessly. Upgraded about 4 months ago from my MBP 2014, which never gave any issues. Immediately I felt a really bad nausea, and this inability to focus on words on the screen. There is definitely something going on. It is almost like all the words have a 'digital ghost' this cloud of unclearness, almost like double vision or slightly crossing your eyes so that they are not focused...


I encourage people to dismiss anyone who provides any non-constructive feedback like go see a doctor, or adjust the resolution or brightness. No, there is an actual deep underlying technical malfeasance that most people don't understand, and the problem is for people with sensitive eyes, another thing most people won't understand. I even spoke with a senior tech partner at Apple and he didn't even know what temporal dithering was.


Here is the culprit as far as I've gotten with little information and no solution:

Based on the symptoms and collective user feedback it seems like the issue comes from temporal dithering. With the new screens that promise 'billions of colors' they don't actually offer a complete screen full of rich static pixels. Instead in the place of pixels there are these mini nodes that flicker back and forth rapidly (dither), presumably filling the space with an even richer viewing experience. The caveat is that while many with the naked eye may not notice, the perceived vs. real reaction on the eyes is quite straining.


As far as I understand this is graphics card based. Indeed when I use an external monitor with my MBP 16" it has the same stressful result on my eyes. From what users have mentioned, PC versions/builds running a comperable graphics card can have temporal dithering disabled but on mac OS it cannot be.


Solutions?

I have read mention of modifying the settings in OpenGL which I do not know how to do or initiate.


Also possible solution mentioned by this third party page which actually seems to be the source that addresses the issue most head on. The only issues is they offer a solution involving some sort of enterprise based hardware/software solution.

file:///Users/sexynerds/Downloads/AN_057_Temporal_Dithering_on_macOS%20(1).pdf


Another solution I have heard mentioned is the idea of rolling back your Mac OS to a version that is pre 2017 which is when this started by most user responses and theories.


Conclusion:

In the beginning this was really bad for me. I actually returned a 15" and got a 16" hoping it would go away. I placebo'd thru it for a while and now have returned to the topic. After a while of watching or looking, either at desktop range or viewing from a bed say watching a show, I get this eye strain and this blotchiness and temporary lack of focus. It is very scary.


I am 31, never had glasses, consider myself to have great vision and after a few minutes or prolonged use on the MBP 16" my vision starts deteriorating in a very scary way. After 3-4 months I have returned to this issue because the ability to focus or retain a workflow with this device is incredibly difficult.


If I do not find a clear cut solution to end this issue, I may have to sell off this device. I probably would part ways with Apple going forward for this. From a reliability and performance perspective I wouldn't want to but this is too much, for a daily computer for creative work.


Thanks, and please share any experiences, solutions, or leads.

Temporal Dithering eyestrain / fatigue

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