low vision advice, please

12 years ago

My sister was told yesterday after an eye exam that she must see a low vision specialist for glasses. She has a powerful lighted magnifier that enlarges text well, but shows only a small portion of the text.

After she called me last night, I decided to look into the Kindle and various Tablets today. Since she has difficulty with a touchpad, I was hoping to find the touch screen on a Reader or Tablet much easier for her. I went to Walmart, Kmart, Staples, and Sam's Club. Only Staples had a working display! :) I was pleased with the "Huge" selection for text on the Kindle Fire. However, no demonstration was possible for me on a Tablet. Walmart and Kmart have an Acer Iconia Tab A500 for $349.99. None had Raven's Vizio. Kmart's return policy is a generous 90 days. We're in different states, so this is imp't.

I've been pouring over reviews for hours and have decided to tap into the expert and experienced users on this forum. I would love for sis to open emails from her daughters. Would the font size remain Huge once selected on a Reader, or would she need to reset it herself when she opened her email or a different book? (Same question for a Tablet.) She has Roadrunner wireless connection bundled with her cable & phone, so the internet is available.

I know Raven is very pleased with the Vizio, but none were on display. Is the higher cost of a Tablet worthwhile when compared to a Reader? She will be reading the Bible, perhaps books, magazines, and a newspaper. Thank you. I greatly appreciate your time and advice.

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Comments (8)

sushipup1
12 years ago
Do you have a blind/low vision non-profit agency near you? I have a friend who's a social worker with a local group, and she and her agency work with this question all the time.

I agree that people here will be able to help tremendously, but just wanted to point out another resource you might have.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blind and Low Vision organization
abreeze
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, sushipup. Her daughter looked into that and was able to get the powerful lighted magnifier from an agency. My sister is able to read extra large print which is why I'm checking into the Reader and Tablet.
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I'm posting this follow-up in case it helps someone in the future. I went to the low-vision specialist appointment with my MIL. It was helpful in correcting a misconception I had - bright lighting in the house is not necessarily what she needs. Her contrast sensitivity is impaired, and bright ambient light decreases her ability to distinguish contrast when she is trying to focus. It explains why she often wears sunglasses - the doctor said that yellow filter sunglasses might help her a bit in the house. The doctor was able to get my MIL to read small print with devices that reversed the letters from black on white to white on black, enlarged the text, and lit it up. One was a small hand-held device, and the other was a tabletop model with a larger screen. I could sense that the doctor had more to offer, but, sadly and not surprisingly, my MIL was having none of it. She is always resistant to change, but for a number of reasons, she was about as non-cooperative a patient as you can be - such a waste of a world-class eye institute. The doctor said the state would pay for the reading device ($3,500) but, "I don't want that ugly thing in my kitchen." The doctor sized her up quickly and didn't pressure her. At the end, she sat next to her and started with, "I don't usually say this to patients this early in the process, but," and then urged her to get a Life Alert pendant and to at least think about what she wants to do in the future when she can't live alone. The only thing my MIL took away from the visit is that she is not going to go completely blind.
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bob414
12 years ago
I have a kindle touch and have to change the font size when I start a new book. I'm guessing that a kindle app on a tablet would work the same way but someone that knows will be along soon. I'm sure the bigger screen will be much better for your sister than a kindle screen. When I make the font large enough to read comfortably I have to turn pages pretty often.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
12 years ago
If there is a Costco around they have the Vizio again for $189 and I think they do have demo versions.

It generally depends on which of the reader programs you use, and with Android tablets there are several to choose from which would be great so she can see which one is better for her, with kindle it only has the one kindle option.

I have about 5 different ereader apps on mine, you can choose font types, size, background color, all sorts of options.

The Acer is a nice tablet too.
sushipup1
12 years ago
I would still ask the blind/low vision staff what their experiences are. It's a wealth of information; use all the resources available.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
12 years ago
What we did for my father in law was audio books, the library provided a player and audio books.
But now you can get the audio books online and find free players.
There are a lot of free books. That would be another option she could do with an android tablet.
mikie_gw
12 years ago
My vision falters when I'm tired or ill. But I can alwasy read on the laptop with zoom.

Perhaps a nice large monitor & pc with wheel mouse & learn to use zoom on the wheel.
abreeze
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, everyone, for your helpful comments. I just spoke with my sister, and she doesn't want me to purchase anything right now. She wants to wait until she sees the low vision specialist.

low vision advice, please

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low vision advice, please

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sushipup1

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