Study on the Effects of Display Color Mode and Luminance Contrast on Visual Fatigue

Xiaojiao Xie,Shurui Wang,Fanghao Song,Yan Liu,Dong Yu

doi:10.1109/access.2021.3061770

Abstract

Using electronic devices at night can easily cause visual fatigue. We investigated the conjoint effects of color mode and luminance contrast on visual fatigue and subjective preference when using electronic devices under low screen luminance and low ambient illumination at night. A multidimensional approach based on eye and subjective measures was used to test 2 color modes (dark mode, light mode) and 6 luminance contrast ratios (0.969, 0.935, 0.868, 0.855, 0.725, 0.469) in a $2 \times 6$ experimental design. We used eye movement tracking technology to collect blink rate and pupil diameters, and used the Likert scale to measure subjective visual fatigue scale and preference. Results showed that reading in the dark mode reduced visual fatigue, as reflected by an increase in blink rate and pupil accommodation. Lower subjective visual fatigue scale and higher preference were found in the light mode due to subjects’ using habits of dark texts on a light background. There was a significant negative correlation between (text-background) luminance contrast and visual fatigue, and subjects preferred higher luminance contrast. We observed the lowest visual fatigue under the luminance contrast of 0.969 in the dark mode, and the lowest subjective preference when the luminance contrast was lower than 0.725. We suggest the users should choose the dark mode to reduce visual fatigue when using electronic devices at night. These findings also provide a reference for the design of interactive interfaces such as tablets and mobile phones, and have practical implications for reducing visual fatigue.

Highlights

With the advent of the information age, daily work and study are inseparable from electronic devices
In order to reduce the visual fatigue caused by using electronic screens at night, this paper studied the eye protection mode
COLOR MODE About color mode, results of objective indicators indicated that using electronic screens in the dark mode leads to an increase in Blink rate (BR) and pupil accommodation (PA) with respect to the light mode

Summary

Introduction

With the advent of the information age, daily work and study are inseparable from electronic devices. People are accustomed to looking at the electronic screen for a long time after turning off lights at night. Looking at electronic screens for a long time in a dark environment may cause serious damage to the eyeball surface and the macular area, and induce dry eye, glaucoma, conjunctivitis, myopia and other diseases. It could even cause blockage of the retinal arteries and blood vessels, and the visual acuity will decrease in a short time. The traditional eye protection mode reduces visual fatigue by reducing the color temperature to reduce the damage caused by blue light to the retina [4] and reducing screen brightness [5].

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