It may be the LED backlight more than the surface causing eye-strain. Glossy just distracts your focus, which might reduce eye-strain as you are not looking at one thing too often. But then you might have to squint more and put in more effort to focus on what you want to see. I don't think there are generalizations you can make that apply to everyone when it comes to displays, you have to use them for a while yourself doing the stuff you need to use the machine for and see if it hurts. Apple have a two week return policy if you don't like what you got, though you may have to pay a restocking fee.
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Which type of Macbook screen is less painful on the eyes: glossy or matte?
I have never found an LCD (at sane brightness levels) of any kind to be painful on the eyes. It's not like you have refresh rates anymore.
Which type of Macbook screen is less painful on the eyes: glossy or matte?
Try the glossy LED MacBook Pro with a good quality anti-glare film - look at Photodon http://www.photodon.com/
And yes, don't always look at the screen with the brightness 100% max, unless your watching videos.
My two cents...