Screen size/resolution and slowly failing vision

[sorcerer]

This is something that, stupidly, I always seem to struggle with and seem to have a mental block about - it was much easier in the days of the 800 x 600 CRT monitor!

Anyway, a customer's eyesight is getting worse - when typing emails for instance, he now uses an 18pt font instead of the 12pt he used to use.

I'm not sure if his eyes will get any worse but they certainly won't get any better. He's 71 years old and currently has a "19-inch widescreen monitor" (so he told me - I've not actually seen it) and he wanted advice from me regarding buying a bigger monitor to accommodate his worsening eyesight.

Any suggestions as to what he should go for would be gratefully received because, for some reason or other, this aspect of computers seems more akin to witchcraft to me.

 

[mraikes]

I have a few customers that are almost completely blind. They get by on a combination of large screens - in one case a 32" TV being used as a computer screen - and magnifier/reader software, most commonly ZoomText.

There's no witchcraft to it. Just make everything bigger, either with hardware or software. And then when even that becomes difficult, incorporate a screen reader. But it's best to start making such changes while the person still had reasonable vision, so by the time it slowly fades they're already accustomed to using the additional magnifying and reader tools (which does take some practice and proficiency).

Edit: My customer I'm most thinking of is a well known book editor & writing coach. He works from home and can barely see his own hand in front of his nose. Probably very few to none of his clients have any idea he's almost completely blind.

 

[fencepost]

Use a cheap TV as a monitor - expensive ones are 1920x1080, but cheap ones can be found that are 720p, aka 1366x768. Not sure where your best bet is in the UK - looking on Amazon there are several options in the 39" range for $230+, but if you hop over to bestbuy.com they only have 4 720p models (24", 32", 32", 39") and the most expensive is only $180, so check the larger local electronics dealers.

 

[Ktex]

I currently use a 32" tv as a monitor, and believe me, sure helps when looking at laptop schematics from across the workbench. Even then, I amplify 200% most schematics, even 400% when checking leads. I am 56 years old, and working/reading those little 7" tablets running windows is troublesome. By all means I suggest a 32" or larger monitor.

 

[fincoder]

He's 71 years old and currently has a "19-inch widescreen monitor"

If true this is quite a small monitor, similar to a 17" in the non-widescreen shape.

I would recommend him the largest LCD monitor available that doesn't have a resolution higher than 1920 x 1080, such as an entry-level 27". At this size and resolution, with DPI scaling to 150%, the size of screen elements should be quite large. Also a computer monitor has a much clearer image for reading text than a TV does.

Also don't forget to teach him the simple Ctrl-scroll-wheel technique of zooming in/out in most apps (e.g. browsers, Outlook).

 

[fencepost]

Also a computer monitor has a much clearer image for reading text than a TV does.

Shouldn't really be the case these days unless the device itself is doing some funky image processing. An HD TV is basically the same thing as an HD monitor, but with a tuner, remote and probably more inputs. It's possible there's image smoothing or the like going on (e.g. "upsampling" to higher resolution screens) but that shouldn't be a factor on a cheap TV.

 

[fincoder]

An HD TV is basically the same thing as an HD monitor

The TVs are optimised for images and viewing from a distance. The only TVs that might be as good for computer use would be the more expensive 100Hz models.

 

[sorcerer]

Thanks everyone, much appreciated.

 

[Ktex]

Thanks for this: Ctrl-scroll-wheel technique of zooming in/out.
20+ years of using windows and not knowing this. I will suggest this to my older customers right away.

 

[fencepost]

Along with Ctrl-Scrollwheel, Ctrl-plus and Ctrl-minus do the same thing, and most importantly when everything is unreadably tiny: Ctrl-0 (zero) resets it to 100%

 

[Diggs]

I didn't see anyone mention Windows Display - Text Size Settings? Default is 100% but I believe the slider goes to 200%. (Win10 had problems with this setting for awhile.)

I thought Ctl+ or Ctl- only works in a web browser.

I try to show all my on-site customers the ctl-scrollwheel so they can control their desktop better as well as shift-click and ctl-click for mass email/file handling. Really makes their day when deleting hundreds of junk emails.

 

[brandonkick]

As Diggs mentioned, there are a lot of things you can do within the windows OS itself to make things larger.

Getting a larger screen, plus making the native windows based tweaks "should" be enough. If you can pick up
a 27" monitor I suggest you do so. I too would probably suggest a real flatscreen computer monitor. I ran my
computer from a 32" HDTV and a 47" for a while... text was not sharp and sometimes hard to read.

Also, just throwing this out there.... maybe the client needs to get glasses or get new glasses?

 

[DRPCNZ]

I get this quite often with clients using 23 or 24 inch flat screens. I usually up the zoom to 125% still nice and readable at that. When I suggest they may want to look at new glasses I get but these are okay they're only 2 years old, so then I suggest they may want to ask about special computer glasses

 

[fincoder]

I didn't see anyone mention Windows Display - Text Size Settings?

Yes I mentioned DPI scaling in my post above about using a 27" monitor instead of a bigger TV.

I thought Ctl+ or Ctl- only works in a web browser.

I think you're right, but Ctrl-scroll-wheel method works in the Windows OS (e.g. desktop, file explorer) and Office apps as well as browsers.

 

[MDD1963]

Got my 73 year old mother with not-so-great eyes an Asus 27" 1080P monitor, and, even at 1080P, with large font and browser set at 110% zoom, she loves it. (Her eyes are not the best, and getting 'less than better' gradually) She previously had some Hp 21" widescreen I think....)

Best part? Monitor was barely over $200.....!

 

[labtech]

Can also recommend getting eye surgery. With coverage, the copay is only a few good hundred (would depend on location I guess). Both of my grandparents had it and their sight is clear now. They are in their mid 70s.

 

[mikeroq]

Just upgraded a guy to 2x 1080p 27" monitors. Has his scaling at 150% I think. Got some arms with extensions to get the monitors to almost the edge of his desk so he can get really close.