Seagull
I agree with Seagull in that for many of us there is an immune system component (in my case long COVID triggered my light and flicker sensitivity and mold worsened it). But where I disagree with him is that there is nothing wrong with the screen technology. If that were the case, you would not see perhaps one of the only consistent patterns across all members of this forum: older tech produced in the 2010s and before (televisions, laptops, phones, monitors) rarely provoke symptoms but newer devices, especially made within the past 5-7 years do.
We have plenty of data here tracking symptoms with frequency and modulation of flicker through a variety of mechanisms. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that more users are having issues as screen technology that relies more and more on flicker and aggressive brightness is implemented across devices, especially phones.
Our knowledge of the brain, nervous system, and microbiome - and how they all interface - is still incredibly limited. So while in a perfect world you would like to solve the root cause (as Seagull has), for many it is not that simple. There can be improvements and certainly diet plays a massive role as I have seen myself, but I don’t believe hanging it purely on changing health through diet is the cure-all solution. And if we’re going to focus on the body and how neuro-immune function is affected by different foods, we also have to acknowledge the variety of toxins we are exposed to every day in our environment, and to point out how our biology is not equipped to handle flickering lights and screens. We have not evolved over thousands of years with these devices. It is a relatively new development. Many neurologists are speaking about the disastrous effects of blue light, LED’s, and screens on our brains, eyes, and nervous system.
Now of course we must live in the real world. I’m not advocating throwing the baby out with the bath water. Screens are a necessity in every day life and careers. But I think there is far too much evidence that flicker at these modulations and frequencies is one of the major causes for these symptoms. And it is novel and thus unsurprising many are having a negative reaction.
Now as to OP’s question, the fact that you can use the 16” M1 MBP is great. Keep in mind PWM sensitivity isn’t a catch-all situation. I can’t use the new M4 MBP’s but I can use an iPhone 13 which has PWM. You can start by measuring the frequency of PWM on your MacBook and seeing what the modulation is with a device like Opple Lightmaster. It won’t be perfect, but it will give you an idea.
Please share the OS all your usable devices are running. It may help us identify what works and what doesn’t.
None of us have perfect solutions here, and normally I wouldn’t directly contradict a user on these forums, but I think it’s important to understand this is an incredibly complex topic and there are more than one ways to skin the proverbial cat, so to speak.