White Text on a Black Background Can Cause Headaches and Migraines

Jon Bell
Sep 7, 2021

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Lots and lots of people like dark mode on their phone. I’m glad they have the option, because a lot of people find it more comfortable. But I’d like to explain what it’s like for someone like me. White text on a black background gives me a headache in about thirty seconds. If I try to suffer through it, it can give me a migraine. It’s awful.

Imagine if reading a few lines of text could throw off your entire day. That’s what the dark mode phenomenon is doing to some of your users if you don’t give them the choice to select a different theme. I’ve skipped articles and stopped using software because of a forced black background. No headache is worth it. I may not be in the majority, but I’m not the only one, either.

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