Extreme Eye Pain on new Macbook Pro M3 (Max)

Community Specialists have asked Readers to refer EVERY complaint about usability, especially eye strain, to Official Apple Support for assistance by telephone:

Official Apple Support

.

Are there multiple manufacturers of the screen for the device?

Yes.

Have I got a bad one/defect?

Possibly. Contact Apple and discuss it that possibility with them: Official Apple Support. If you are unable to find a display setting that doesn't cause discomfort the next step would be to return it and try another, or return it for a full cash refund.

PWM is nothing new, and display technology has been evolving for a long time. Some people are more sensitive to it than others. It's highly subjective. Personally I find the opposite of full brightness helps — everyone else seems to be staring into a blindingly bright screen, and I don't know how they cope.

You're not alone: Eye Pain, Headaches, Nausea in Newer Versions - Apple Community

Although it's far from ideal, consider finding an external monitor that doesn't cause discomfort. If you elect to do that you might want to consider a desktop Mac Mini (for example).

if you have already tried:

making certain you are using 60 Hz refresh,

tried a different default display 'profile',

and chatted with Apple support about this:

Official Apple Support.

some users say that disabling temporal dithering using stillcolor on M-series MacBook Pro has brought them relief

Not sure if this will help, but have you tried disabling ProMotion and using it in 60hz to see if that helps? In addition, you could try enabling True Tone just to see if it helps in some way.

Hi can you share your exact RGB settings like white point, color gamut, SDR Transfer function?

All m series pro models had that. I tried m2 pro, m2 max, m3 pro locked and unlocked and max all in 14 inch and same issue. There is an app to dim the screen (you go 100 brightness in photo mode) and then use the app to go back to 20 or 30. It will look bad so… i wait the m3 air as it will suffice (m2 air has no pwm, you can use the slow motion camera mode on iphone to check which laptops are ok).

also you can use laptop 100% on external screen but that is a waste of money…

Hi Author,

i have tried the RGB settings.

i have tried 50 and 60 Hz refresh.

I have tried grayscale.

I have also installed every combination of settings on the betterdisplay app.

Trying out a new display setting gives me a temporary relief but they don't work in the long run.

Please let me know if these new settings work for you after a couple of days?

wkhan15 wrote:

i have 3 macbook pros

intel 2015 15"

intel 2019 16" (for office use)

m2 2023 16"

Only one of them (2023 16") is causing serious strain and fatigue. A 1 hour use leaves me drained and exhausted. And i need a nap after that.

I have tried grayscale, i have tried high contrast and every possible combination of display settings.

I have also tried different external monitors, somehow i am still getting fatigued.

I have stopped using the m2 macbook now and writing this from my slow 2015 macbook.

Consult an eye specialist.

i have 3 macbook pros

intel 2015 15"

intel 2019 16" (for office use)

m2 2023 16"

Only one of them (2023 16") is causing serious strain and fatigue. A 1 hour use leaves me drained and exhausted. And i need a nap after that.

I have tried grayscale, i have tried high contrast and every possible combination of display settings.

I have also tried different external monitors, somehow i am still getting fatigued.

I have stopped using the m2 macbook now and writing this from my slow 2015 macbook.

Same issue with macbook pro M1 pro 16"

I've seen some solutions like:

1. BetterDisplay app
2. Disable font smoothing
3. Disable temporal dithering
4. Stillcolor on Github

But it not helps

I've wrote a comment about that on the another topic on Apple forum regarding this topic and know I can't write any comments about that beside this one. I don't know why?

Ah interesting! Well, glad to hear that has helped you out. Enjoy your Mac!