In March 2023, I became the owner of the new MacBook Pro 14 with 32GB of RAM. I couldn't contain my excitement until I started using it. Within an hour, I began feeling unwell, but I didn't initially associate it with the laptop. My head and eyes ached for several days, as if I had been hit on the head with sticks. After a couple of days, I realized that it was happening only when I worked on the new MacBook. At that time, I had a Lenovo Carbon X1 Gen 5 as my work laptop, which had served me well for 6 years, and I wanted to upgrade it.
Whenever I went back to using my Lenovo laptop, my eye strain disappeared - everything was fine. From that point on, I tried various settings, installed different applications, attempted to disable dithering, and experimented with low/high contrast, low/high brightness, and so on. I actively read threads on ledstrain.org and even tried patching. Unfortunately, nothing helped, and I had no choice but to sell the MacBook.
I then decided to simply upgrade the model of my old Lenovo laptop, thinking that would solve the problem. I ordered the Lenovo Carbon X1 Gen 10 (21CB0086RT) with an IPS screen of 1920x1200 resolution. When I tried Ubuntu on it, I experienced the same effect as with the MacBook, even when using external monitors. I attributed this (perhaps naively) to the default drivers used in the Ubuntu build.
Next, I installed Windows 11 on the same laptop and installed all the necessary drivers from the official Lenovo website. It improved the situation, but my eyes still hurt by the evening. I then tried installing Windows 10. While it didn't completely solve the problem, it seemed slightly better than Windows 11.
As I had a 7-day window to test the laptop and return it to the store if it didn't suit me, I decided to return it. I wanted to find something suitable and, at the same time, visit an ophthalmologist to have my eyes checked. The doctor confirmed that my eyes were healthy and prescribed moisturizing eye drops just in case.
Then, I decided to give Lenovo one last chance and ordered the exact same laptop model but with a different screen. It was the Lenovo Carbon X1 Gen 10 (21CB008PRT) with an IPS screen of 2240x1400 resolution. Surprisingly, I used the laptop in all modes and settings, without disabling dithering, just out of the box with Windows 10, and I didn't experience any pain. I'm not sure what specifically caused this change, but the only difference between the two laptops was the screen. You can compare the models on the website https://psref.lenovo.com/Compare. Below are the only differences between the models:
21CB008PRT
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10
14" 2.2K (2240x1400) IPS 300nits Anti-glare, 100% sRGB
Color Calibration: None
Other Certifications: TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Method 2
21CB0086RT
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10
14" WUXGA (1920x1200) IPS 400nits Anti-glare, 100% sRGB, Low Power
Color Calibration: ICC Template Color Calibration
Other Certifications: Eyesafe Certified
The screen resolution (1920x1200 vs. 2240x1400) likely doesn't play a role in my case, as the MacBook's resolution was even higher (3024x1964). It could be related to the certifications or brightness in nits. Perhaps this information will help someone else.