Is there any way to enhance visibility of Linux programs; frames/borders/separator lines/icons/scroll bars without going into overkill messy high contrast?
The gray color all blends together for me being half blind. Open office is same color of Gray with faint thin separator lines. IT really slows me down.

Hello
I to find the modern trend for Grey on Grey most disturbing, It is not only on Linux It started with Microsoft, is now on a new Microwave oven I have recently acquired.
Ebay are the worst sell agents that now use it.
Firefox browser is terrable !
I now find it in store at some super markets.
It has made me mad having to ask someone to read things for me.
Utterly selfish people are to blame I only wish they are inflicted with a vision problem let them see (pun) how it is.
I call them selfish as I have written to so many only to be told it is the fashion, Pah It was fashion to bump off folk not liked by European dictators in the early 1940s but it did not make it right.
I feel with you.
Trev

Have you tried "CTRL-ALT-+" on your keyboard, this will make your viewing experiance a little better.

Arrogant ????
You have no idea, you think we have not tried it.
It works not try it yourself.
Trev

Thanx, Trev and PECONET009
Ctrl Alt + did nothing=-=
On a previous Mint version I did find a way to change colors of some of the borders but now I don't have the motivation, time, or aiblities to sort through it all.
I have a newer LED monitor 1920X1280 which greatly makes it worse. The old LCD 1280/1024 use to not have this problem as bad. l8r SW

It all depends on used Desktop Environment. For example in KDE you can customize all that things with QtCurve style, I believe GNOME also have similar option. Specify which one you use. For LibreOffice integration with desktop environment you need to install proper widget plugin.

========================
Desktop is Cinnamon on Mint 17.1! I lost track of how they are scrambling what they use in Cinnamon. I also prefer Gui/menu ways to change things due to memory problems. Some of these replys aren't making it to thunderbird. I'm having to check gmail through a browser to find them. Thanx SW

Cinnamon is written in GTK so make sure you have installed package "libreoffice-gtk3", there is also "qtcurve" package, so check it too.

Thanx eSelix, "libreoffice-gtk3" was not there but is now and "qtcurve" must be a part of "libreoffice-gtk3" cuz when I searched for it in Synaptic, only "libreoffice-gtk3" showed. apologize for not being real smooth here...

After gtk3 finished install I re=checked for qtcurve and this in the the attachment appeared.
None of it really jumped out as relevant to me so here I is again asking which part of it looks like it needs to be in there. Thanx~bunch~again.

Attached Thumbnails

 

I see that qtcurve is for GTK2 and I am not sure if it also works with GTK3, if you decide to install try version for gtk as others do nothing in your system. You probably need to set it in system configuration, but I am not using Cinnamon and don't known where.

Check if "libreoffice" is displayed better after installing "libreoffice-gtk3".

======================================================================================

There was a minimal improvement in the separator line and a slight 3d rounding of the previous flat borders. I went through the motions of installing qtcurve just after [the option that installed them all] and I thought it installed but going back into synaptic and checking after several reboots it is unchecked. as in not installed. in the past I experamented with different themes and colors for the border parts but wasn't happy with the results. Things kind of acted wiggy and it looked kindergarten like. Amazing how Windowz has alot of look alike features as Linux desktops. Makes me wonder who copies who?

I feel your pain. Adolescent programmers will always put style ahead of function, and it's up to us with extensive life experience (also known as geezers) to put them straight. I encourage you to participate in http://forums.linuxmint.com/ and http://forums.mate-desktop.org/ , among others, and get these kids straightened out (did I already say that?). Any kidding aside, one of the things that the hated M$ does right is invest in user research so their products are widely useful. I hate it when they do that.