[gokalp]

The digitizer itself is thin, it consists of a couple of sheets of plastic and metal. What makes most of the thickness is the LED side. It looked like they were a fused into a single piece, but it should be possible separate them, remove the LEDs or maybe retrofit something else.

For the contrast, I think the loss of contrast is mostly due to the topmost protective layer. Its texture is pretty matte to prevent reflections, but it also creates a blurry effect. The layers beyond looked like glossy surfaces, which should not decrease the contrast.