

White (Light) vs. Black (Dark) Backgrounds: Health Effects - hiteshiitk
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/498698/white-light-vs-black-dark-backgrounds-health-effects

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jlongster
I've tried all kinds of combinations for coding over the past 10 years. The
only combination which didn't start to hurt my eyes over time was a light grey
background with dark text.

<http://jlongster.com/media/images/screen.png>

I absolutely love this scheme. It may not look pretty at first, but it's very
very easy on the eyes, and also very clear. Colors are easy to make out and
there's no glare anywhere.

~~~
alex_c
Interesting. I stick with default backgrounds (white, usually) but I tend to
turn my screen brightness way way down when I'm working... which ends up
looking indistinguishable from your screenshot.

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electromagnetic
I do exactly the same. I suppose using a darker background with black text has
essentially the same effect as dimming the screen. One is limiting the light
emitted from the backlight, the other is limiting the light transmitting
through the liquid crystals. Both result in less light reaching your eye.

However, I suppose the dark background allows for immediate switching from low
brightness to high brightness. If you're doing the 30/30 work cycle, you could
easily switch from a dark coding screen to a proper brightness game or tv
show.

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falcolas
I like dark on light; it's literally easier for me to read (though there is a
medical cause for my choice).

I have Keratoconus, so there are very few corrective lenses which can actually
help me have good clear vision. Light screens with black text cause my pupils
to contract, which results in better focus (it's related to the reason that
pinhole cameras work without any lenses).

If I do light on dark (my favorite colorscheme was Zenburn), the text gets too
fuzzy to read at anything smaller than 14 point. On the other hand, if I use
dark on light (I prefer bclear now) I can read text comfortably at 8 point.

It's certainly painful on the eyes if the rest of the environment is dark, but
if you have a reasonably well lit room, I've noticed very little eye strain.

While my experience obviously does not carry over well to the population at
general, it could help explain why dark on light is easier to read - it's
easier to make out the details.

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luu
I wonder how much of the effect is because black on white is actually
superior, and how much is because people have so much more practice at reading
black on white. It would be interesting to see the studies repeated, using
sub-groups that are used to black on white and white on black, respectively.

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alaithea
My thoughts exactly. It would be hard to find many people who almost
exclusively read white on black, though. I think the groups people break down
into are likely the average people from "book-land", where all is black on
white, and techies who use dark background terminals, but are fluent in both.
In which case, it would make the most sense to test people who have extensive
exposure to both (techies) for comprehension, etc.

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jarin
I find it easier to read prose when it's dark text on a light background, but
I find it easier to read code when it's light text on a dark background. Maybe
it has to do with proportional vs. monospace fonts?

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Florin_Andrei
I do, too. I suspect it's just habit.

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andrewjshults
Which ever background you pick, I find f.lux (
<http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/> ) to be invaluable when using computers for
extended periods of time (especially in the winter when the sun sets early).
The quick rundown is that based on your location is adjusts the brightness and
color temperature of your screen to match the lighting around you as it
transitions from daylight to inside lighting. It's a slow transition so you
don't really notice it until you look at someone else's screen and notice that
it's looks really blue. The biggest downside I've seen is that it can't
control the brightness of all displays (my MBPs screen gets dimmed but the
Dell 2405 stays at the same level). It still does adjust the color temperature
on external screens (at least on mac laptops it seems) which is better than
nothing.

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Semiapies
I've known people with vision problems who have to skip light-on-dark web
pages because it's just not tenable for them to try to read. (This was before
Readability, though keep in mind it's nobody's obligation to find a work-
around for your eye-straining website.)

I suspect there's an objective benefit, there.

Everything seems to indicate that dark-on-light is better than light-on-dark,
and both are better than light-on-light or dark-on-dark. (Or, in other words,
contrast is vital, and dark text is preferable.)

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terrym
I've always liked the way flarp looks
(<https://github.com/mikecrittenden/flarp-gedit>) . It's light on dark, but
using colors that are easier on the eyes than plain white-on-black. There's a
screenshot of it here: [http://mikethecoder.com/post/861539191/flarp-a-gedit-
color-s...](http://mikethecoder.com/post/861539191/flarp-a-gedit-color-scheme)

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zacharycohn
I've always preferred dark backgrounds/light text.

