MS Office 2013 Blinding & hard to read

MS Office 2013 is Blinding, low contrast and very hard to read. Reading is very difficult. We have tried all the options available and it is still a headache to use after a couple of hours. Literally we are now stocking aspirin in the office.

The text is a light gray and the background is a gray (best contrast we can get) Tried to enlarge font - no work. No other options. The screen is simply blinding white with low contrast and no background color (except the low grade gray).
Employees are asking to back off to earlier version of Office but that is an expense we cannot afford, even if you find the software. Also, Using the option to have the first couple of lines appear in the email list is tiny with no font options either. I have installed 3 copies of this software and they all complain of the same issues.

Outlook is configured to the server. We have our own post office so transitioning email out is not an option. My IT guy has no suggestions.

Is there a plug in utility that will change the font and contrast? Outlook 2010 presentation is good an desirable. OR Will Microsoft consider trading us out for 2010?

Suggestions/recommendations are solicited.
Thank you