[Deskisamess]

I’ve no problems using a backlit device in a well lit room. But backlighting does bother my eyes in a dark room, especially when I’m reading without my glasses, which I do at night. I can see clearly with a device close to my eyes, 6-8 inches, but being so close, even lowered brightness of backlighting is uncomfortable for me.

White text on a black background is the worst...it’s like tiny shards of light, and I have no tolerance for it.

Now, if I keep my glasses on, and hold the device 14-18 inches from my eyes, I can tolerate it for a longer time, maybe 30 minutes.

With frontlit e-ink, I can hold the device near my eyes and read for a couple of hours, no problem. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I can turn the front light of the Kindle down even more.

The brightness of backlighting doesn’t “damage” my eyes, but it bothers them. Like a flashbulb going off, or being in the bright sun. I get blinky and my eyes may tear up, and it’s not pleasant.

iPads and tablets are very common here in Ohio in the schools, as are Chromebooks. When my son was teaching in a school in Louisville KY, they had hundreds of iPad 2 models for the classrooms.