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Eyestrain from Tiny Type?
If you are reading this blog on a handheld device then you already have firsthand experience with the topic of this post. Keep reading, if you can.
So much written information in our lives is being presented to us via dimly lit miniature screens. Just walking around my house I was kept squinting by looking at the coffee maker, the video recorder, a digital camera, several iPods, my beeper, two cell phones, a larger PDA, as well as our home security keypad and a state-of-the-art oven. Even the lawn sprinkler timer has a teeny-weeny digital readout!
More and more people are complaining about text displays. There are two main concerns:
Don't you hate it when you get beeped in daylight and you cannot see the characters on the digital readout? You tilt it every way possible to catch a glimpse of the screen - it's most annoying while trying to drive and still carry on a cell phone conversation!
Eyestrain is a big problem because most of these devices are intended to be held within arms distance - up close. The closer you hold it the more your eyes will need to accommodate (boost near-focusing power). Continuous accommodation is uncomfortable so take frequent rest breaks and simply 'stare off into the distance'. Beyond age 40 many adults have lost so much of their accommodative reserve they need bifocals to compensate (presbyopia). That makes a difficult task unbearable.
Before you invest in another new digital gadget make sure you test drive it in the store and, hopefully, outdoors in the parking lot. Do not expect your eyes to eventually adapt. What you see (or don't see) is what you get. If you cannot read the screen display clearly you should consider an alternate model. Once again, you get what you pay for. Cheaper units typically have weaker, shorter-life batteries and that means uncomfortable squinting.
Read the fine print. You'll enjoy your new electronic gizmo more if you can see what it is you are doing.
Related Topics: Setting Up Your Office For Minimum Injury, Clean that Computer Keyboard
So much written information in our lives is being presented to us via dimly lit miniature screens. Just walking around my house I was kept squinting by looking at the coffee maker, the video recorder, a digital camera, several iPods, my beeper, two cell phones, a larger PDA, as well as our home security keypad and a state-of-the-art oven. Even the lawn sprinkler timer has a teeny-weeny digital readout!
More and more people are complaining about text displays. There are two main concerns:
- The characters are just too darn small; and
- The screen illumination is inadequate. Not long ago novice computer users had the same problems but hardware manufacturers were able to enhance screen resolution and text readability.
Don't you hate it when you get beeped in daylight and you cannot see the characters on the digital readout? You tilt it every way possible to catch a glimpse of the screen - it's most annoying while trying to drive and still carry on a cell phone conversation!
Eyestrain is a big problem because most of these devices are intended to be held within arms distance - up close. The closer you hold it the more your eyes will need to accommodate (boost near-focusing power). Continuous accommodation is uncomfortable so take frequent rest breaks and simply 'stare off into the distance'. Beyond age 40 many adults have lost so much of their accommodative reserve they need bifocals to compensate (presbyopia). That makes a difficult task unbearable.
Before you invest in another new digital gadget make sure you test drive it in the store and, hopefully, outdoors in the parking lot. Do not expect your eyes to eventually adapt. What you see (or don't see) is what you get. If you cannot read the screen display clearly you should consider an alternate model. Once again, you get what you pay for. Cheaper units typically have weaker, shorter-life batteries and that means uncomfortable squinting.
Read the fine print. You'll enjoy your new electronic gizmo more if you can see what it is you are doing.
Related Topics: Setting Up Your Office For Minimum Injury, Clean that Computer Keyboard
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