While things can be read online by adjusting font sizes, contrast, etc., printed materials need to be handled differently. I have found a couple of ways to help me read print without overly straining my eyes or my brain, which is really important when dealing with bilateral vestibular hypofunction!
Buy books in large or giant print. Buy books with the largest print that can be read comfortably. The best example of this one for me is the Bible. While there are Bible apps that can be downloaded and used for free, I’ve always preferred having copies of the Bible in print. For years, I carried a Bible with very small print, a thinline NASB Bible. I never really noticed a strain on my eyes when reading it, but when I decided to try a super giant print Bible as an alternative, I was shocked by how much easier it was to read. I could even feel the difference. My brain and body seemed to relax as I read the larger print. I felt like they were thanking me! I also seemed to comprehend the text better. For those who might blame the translation on why they struggle to read the Bible, it just may be that they need to find it in a larger-sized print! The size and weight of a super giant print Bible could be a deal-breaker for some, but it has honestly been a non-issue for me. I even purchased a New Living Translation super giant print Bible to use for general reading, and it has also worked out very well. Here is a photo of my old and new NASB Bibles. It’s very easy to see the difference in print size!
When it’s not possible to buy books in a certain print size, use a magnifier made for reading books or pages. I recently ordered two of these from Amazon. I decided to take one to the office and leave one at home. I’ve used it to read from one of my Bible study books, and I’ve used it at work a few times to make text on the screen or in printed materials larger. It also really seems to help. Batteries can be inserted in order to use a light on the device, but depending on the lighting in the room, using the light may not be required to see the print well. Here is a picture of it being used to enlarge some print on a page. It’s able to enlarge the print and keep it clear enough to read easily.
Thankfully there are steps that can be taken to make it easier to read printed materials. Different types of books, and the Bible in particular, are available in a variety of print sizes so one can select the best-sized print for seeing and reading. When it’s not possible to find printed materials with a suitable font size, a magnifier can help. There are I’m sure many ways and methods to make reading printed materials easier, but these are two that I’ve used and can say that they’ve helped me out quite a bit. Hopefully they will help others!
If you like this post, please consider subscribing by e-mail and/or grabbing the RSS feed. Feel free to comment on this post or use my contact form to send me a message. Also, please consider sharing this post to your favorite social media sites. Thanks!
RSS - Posts
