I keep mine about 20%-25% most of the time. I wouldn't have noticed the backlight bleeding (mine has a bit of it) if I hadn't read forums/articles about it and since I rarely (if ever) go above 50% brightness. I don't think it's an issue for me.
I leave it on automatic where i assume the light sensor adjusts it.
Unless I'm trying to show off pictures or something, which look fantastic on max brightness. I wish there was an option for it to use a pre-set higher brightness when charging though.