Encountered this when setting up a new Windows 8 machine for a non-profit. Could not get clear text in IE10 after adjusting gamma (color calibration) and using the cleartype tuner.
Once I understood the reason, I defected (for the first time ever) to Chrome browser and made sure we purchased Office 2010, rather than Office 2013. They're getting essentially a Win7 experience with Win8 + Start8 + Chrome browser + Office 2010.
Win8 was already a hard sell for the business enterprise. This makes it worse by downgrading the experience in IE10 and Office 2013 for typical laptop/desktop users.