civedi - Astigmatism Friendly Theme for VS Code

A Visual Studio Code color theme specifically designed for people with moderate to strong astigmatism. This theme reduces eye strain, prevents halation, and minimizes blur by following evidence-based accessibility guidelines.

Screenshot

F# TS

Features

• Soft off-white background (#F7F7F2) - Reduces glare while maintaining high readability
• Dark grey text (#1A1A1A) - High contrast without the harshness of pure black
• Minimal syntax highlighting - Only strings and errors/warnings are colored
• Monochrome code - Reduces visual complexity and halation effects
• Clear error visibility - Errors (red) and warnings (orange) remain clearly visible

Why This Theme?

People with astigmatism often struggle with:

1. Pure white backgrounds - Cause glare and scatter light unevenly
2. Pure black text on pure white - Maximum contrast can increase halation
3. Dark mode (white on black) - Forces pupil dilation, causing blur and "glowing" text
4. Heavy syntax highlighting - Multiple colors create visual noise and increase focusing difficulty

This theme addresses all these issues by:

• Using a soft off-white background that keeps pupils stable
• Using very dark grey instead of pure black for reduced edge fuzziness
• Keeping code mostly monochrome to reduce visual complexity
• Only highlighting what matters: strings (for string/data visibility) and errors/warnings (for immediate attention)

Color Palette

System Settings

• Screen brightness: Match your room's ambient light
• Color temperature: Enable Windows Night Light at 30-40%
• Display scaling: Consider 110-125% scaling if text feels small

Installation

From VSIX (Local)

1. Run vsce package in the extension directory
2. In VS Code: Extensions → ... menu → "Install from VSIX..."
3. Select the generated .vsix file

Manual Installation

1. Copy this folder to your VS Code extensions directory:
   • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions\
   • macOS/Linux: ~/.vscode/extensions/
2. Restart VS Code
3. Select the theme: File → Preferences → Color Theme → "Astigmatism Friendly"

Research Background

This theme is based on accessibility research from:

• Level Access - Digital accessibility guidelines
• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) - Vision accessibility recommendations
• WCAG - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio)
• UX accessibility research - Studies on astigmatism and screen readability

Contributing

Feedback and contributions are welcome! If you have astigmatism and have suggestions for improving the theme, please open an issue or pull request.

License

MIT License