Reading is one of the most accessible forms of entertainment, especially for seniors who often have more time and ability to spend reading books. It can transport you to other times, places, people, and ideas from the comfort of your own home. Unfortunately, vision loss is a very common problem for the elderly population, with as many as one in three people aged 65 and older having a disease which impairs their sight. Even without specific vision loss, many typical books and printed materials use a relatively small font which can put a strain on older eyes and cause discomfort.
Decreased vision does not mean that reading has to be more difficult. There are many accommodations, adaptations, and technologies to make reading easier on aging eyes.
Magnifiers
If small font size is causing you to squint and strain to make out words, there are a number of ways to make the text appear larger and easier to read with magnifiers.
Reading glasses are a common and convenient way to more easily read books, screens, menus, and other materials with small text. They are typically easy to find, affordable, and very portable.
Pocket magnifiers are another convenient and inexpensive tool for increasing text size on the go. They come in many sizes, often similar to a credit card or a bookmark and are very portable.
There are also larger and more elaborate page magnifiers with focused LED lights over the section of a book you are reading to make the font bigger and more clear.
Printed Book Alternatives
Advances in technology have led to alternative ways of reading books which may be easier for those with various levels of vision impairment.
Ebooks are great for those needing reading aids because they are so customizable. Digital pages have settings which you can quickly change to fit your needs at the moment. Font type, size, color, background color, and more can be altered, and some ebooks come with the option to alternate between reading yourself or having the text read aloud to you.
Audiobooks are a fully vision-free reading experience since the text is being read aloud. There are also radio play versions of some books for a different type of listening experience.
There are also books specifically printed with larger font size for an easier reading experience for those with limited vision.
The Care Consultants at CJ Care & Consulting can help you and you loved ones to adjust to many of the changes that come with age. Contact us today for more information or to make an appointment.
