I have a hunch that a lot of complaining about "light mode" is because people's monitors are too bright.
I always make sure that my monitors are set so that a full white screen is comfortable to look at indefinitely. (With this in mind I find I enjoy light mode themes more than dark mode ones. YMMW. (Obviously blacks should be close to real black with this setup for proper contrast. All in all, a well calibrated monitor should be a joy to look at no matter the color theme.))
I always make sure that my monitors are set so that a full white screen is comfortable to look at indefinitely. (With this in mind I find I enjoy light mode themes more than dark mode ones. YMMW. (Obviously blacks should be close to real black with this setup for proper contrast. All in all, a well calibrated monitor should be a joy to look at no matter the color theme.))