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

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 × 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.