 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / General / Vision / December 2004Best Font for Poor Vision?
I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. Are there specific poor vision fonts? If you are using Micro$oft Windows, you can try Verdana (it ships with Windows). If you are reluctant to use a font from the evil empire, you can download APHont from http://www.aph.org/products/aphont.html ; If you want to spend money, you can try Tiresias at http://www.tiresias.org/fonts/index.htm. I have tried both Verdana and APHont and currently use APHont. I have no direct experience with Tiresias. > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. > Are there specific poor vision fonts? > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. > Are there specific poor vision fonts? Size matters most. She should set up her [presumably] MS-Windows machine to display Large fonts. An LCD monitor helps many. If you are sending HTML email, you should be able to set your fontsize. -- Robert > > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. > > Are there specific poor vision fonts? > If you are sending HTML email, you should be able to set > your fontsize. That's fine if all she uses the computer for is Email, and the only Email is from her son. Otherwise, I don't think it should be on the burden of the sender to set the font size. She needs the big fonts for everything.  SignatureDan Abel Sonoma State University AIS dabel@sonic.net > That's fine if all she uses the computer for is Email, and > the only Email is from her son. Otherwise, I don't think it > should be on the burden of the sender to set the font size. > She needs the big fonts for everything. Fully agreed. That's why my first para had recommendations for setting up her computer. -- Robert > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. > Are there specific poor vision fonts? The reply from Mr Rowberry, the optical part, is a good start. The website that provides the APHont font includes the real key to using fonts for people with reduced vision: The font should have.... * More even spacing between letters. * Higher crossbars. * No serifs. * Wider letters. * Heavier letters. * Underslung "j" and "q". * Letters more open. * Larger punctuation marks. There are a number of fonts that meet most, if not all of those criteria, including: Verdana Geneva Lucinda Grande QuickType And don't forget to increase the font size and image contrast. --LB > > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. > > Are there specific poor vision fonts? [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > And don't forget to increase the font size and image contrast. And make sure it's bold. I've found that of all the normal fonts, Arial bold seems most legible. Verdana is pretty, but Arial is more compact. SignatureCheers, Bev =/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\=/=\= "Sure, everyone's in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but when you put it into the body of a great white shark, suddenly you're a madman." --Futurama > > > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. > > > Are there specific poor vision fonts? Please don't follow the stupid advice these people are giving since 400 years. You should practice the rest methods by reading DIFFICULT fonts, in any situation. The more DIFFICULT the better. Otherwise, by using EASY FONTS, you will get accustomed to them, AND FORGET to practice the rest methods while reading, and in so doing you will ruin your eyesight again and again. Mind what i say. > You should practice the rest methods by reading DIFFICULT > fonts, in any situation. > The more DIFFICULT the better. > Otherwise, by using EASY FONTS, you will get accustomed to > them, AND FORGET to practice the rest methods while reading, > and in so doing you will ruin your eyesight again and again. Oh my! Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse! -- Robert I'm not sure I understand the point you are trying to make. If, by easy vs. difficult, you mean size, you raise an important point. Bigger is not always better (at least with respect to fonts). An ideal font is one that packs the most information into the smallest readable footprint. This allows the reader to get the most information without having to cover large amounts of real estate. People shouldn't just increase the font size to the largest. If I use Ariel on my browser, I use it on large. If I use APHont, I use it on medium. The issue isn't just aesthetic. By using a medium font, my eyes don't have to travel as far to read the material. That does reduce fatigue. Not everyone can use this font at that size. Your mileage may vary. The important point is that you should give the smaller font a try and not just assume that you will always need the largest available. I am not sure I would phrase it as "practicing with a difficult font". The smallest readable footprint varies tremendously from person to person and can vary from time to time within the same person. Be aware of that factor and adjust your fonts as the needs of the moment dictate. >> > > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. >> > > Are there specific poor vision fonts? [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Mind what i say. Ken, The fellow you are replying to is a troll. He is not an expert in any vision related topic. I would take any advise he gives you with a grain of salt. ========== > I'm not sure I understand the point you are trying to make. If, by easy > vs. difficult, you mean size, you raise an important point. Bigger is not [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] >> >> Mind what i say. > Ken, > The fellow you are replying to is a troll. He is not an expert in any > vision related topic. I would take any advise he gives you with a grain of > salt. Ken, the idiot-doctor who is replying above is just a simple idiot that has never been able to cure anybody from any kind of imperfect sight disorder. I suggest you not to follow his silly advice, that has never helped anyone in the world. Take him with two grains of salt. > The important point is that you should give the smaller font a try and not > just assume that you will always need the largest available. I am not sure I > would phrase it as "practicing with a difficult font". The smallest readable > footprint varies tremendously from person to person and can vary from time > to time within the same person. Be aware of that factor and adjust your > fonts as the needs of the moment dictate. Hallo Mr. Ken, I am happy to have to comment on your interesting message. Please mind well that I intend exactly to *practice* with difficult fonts, that is, smallest and most packed you can read. It is a practice that prevents you from straining when you read normal fonts. In my opinion, and that of others, the smaller the font you can read with ease, the better. The larger the font, the worse. I see you may be interested in my website http://TheCentralFixation.com It has been my experience that bold is bad. It violates the "letters more open" point. The goal is to not just see the letter but also recognize it. To that end, whitespace is just as important as the stroke of the font. This even applies in the vertical dimension. Take a look at Ariel vs. APHont. The leading (space between lines) is greater for APHont; i.e. APHont has more vertical whitespace.The most effective use of whitespace comes when the default weight of the font is used. Bold is to draw attention to the letters, not to make them more readable. As to the "more even spacing between letters" point, I would agree if that means a carefully kerned font. Again the issue is whitespace. Too much whitespace is as bad as not enough. I don't think a fixed font is as readable as something like a Verdana because the whitespace is uneven between letters. Punctuation marks are very important. Compare the semicolon vs. the comma in Ariel vs. APHont. For Ariel, the semicolon is a comma with a dot over it. Technically correct. APHont's approach is to lengthen the descender for the comma. If you cover the dot part of the semicolon in APHont, you can still tell the difference between the two characters. Another interesting subtlety can be seen in comparing the 'f' vs. the 't' in APHont. In addition to the expected top terminal for the 'f' and the bottom terminal for the 't', the cross strokes for the two characters are at a different height. In Ariel, they are at the same height. In simple terms what this means is that ther is a great deal of detail in a low vision font intended to make the characters distinct from each other. To someone without low vision, these hints are probably lost. To someone with low vision, the ability to quickly tell the difference between a 't' and an 'f' makes the font easier to read. >> > I write my mom who is 91 with poor vision. >> > Are there specific poor vision fonts? [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > And make sure it's bold. I've found that of all the normal fonts, Arial > bold seems most legible. Verdana is pretty, but Arial is more compact. > It has been my experience that bold is bad. It violates the "letters more > open" point. The goal is to not just see the letter but also recognize it. I've spent a lot of time playing with fonts and foreground and background colors. I find nearly any font more legible, providing more contrast with the background, when bold -- excluding the really heavy bolds, of course. > To that end, whitespace is just as important as the stroke of the font. This > even applies in the vertical dimension. Take a look at Ariel vs. APHont. Just downloaded APHont -- my mom's macular blister/hole don't look like they're going to be repaired. Any idea if it's available as a standard ttf font? All I see is an .exe file, which doesn't use. SignatureCheers, Bev ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is. The aphont.exe file installs the .ttf file in MS Windows. If you don't have access to a Micro$oft PC, I can send you the TrueType file. From what I read of the license file, this is legit for me to send and for you to use. My address is kleer66-news at yahoo com. As to the bold vs. normal weight, each person is different. When you go to help your mom, try several variations of fonts, weights & sizes. Just don't ask the question "Can you see?". Rather, ask "Can you read?" They are very different questions. > > It has been my experience that bold is bad. It violates the "letters more > > open" point. The goal is to not just see the letter but also recognize it. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > they're going to be repaired. Any idea if it's available as a standard > ttf font? All I see is an .exe file, which doesn't use. If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is. http://www.aph.org/edresearch/lpguide.htm i assume the font is APHont. APHont pasted into word appears to: 1) become Verdana then 2) becomes the hated Times New Roman then 3) freezes the program evil indeed! pasted pictures of generes.. don't freeze the program but the APH font kinda slips thru the mesh and jams the interfaces both sides! interesting to run a comparison of arial ms's roundness flow to the APHont which appears to call up the neurons forward left to right flight across the page-jogging temporal memory into increased activity? interesting research/business. And also try black on white and white on black (or similar combinations) of text and background. > The aphont.exe file installs the .ttf file in MS Windows. If you don't have > access to a Micro$oft PC, I can send you the TrueType file. From what I read > of the license file, this is legit for me to send and for you to use. My > address is kleer66-news at yahoo com. Thanks, but if it creates the font that's OK. > As to the bold vs. normal weight, each person is different. When you go to > help your mom, try several variations of fonts, weights & sizes. Just don't > ask the question "Can you see?". Rather, ask "Can you read?" They are very > different questions. Yes. I favor the "which is better?" method. It's very discouraging. The surgeon expected the macular blister/bubble/swelling (left eye) that he repaired to have healed with her vision greatly improved, but now 8 weeks later it's as bad as it was before the vitrectomy -- she can see the E, and sometimes the HB next to it, but not well. The doc is stumped. She has a macular hole in the right "good" eye, which she is understandably reluctant to have repaired until she can depend on the vision in the left eye. The doc says that the hole repair (eye filled with oil) will give her a 10% decrease in vision until the oil is removed, at which time it will be better, but she's really worried. I still want the other doc who let the hole develop over the five years he was seeing her every three months horsewhipped, but I don't think that will happen. > > > It has been my experience that bold is bad. It violates the "letters more > > > open" point. The goal is to not just see the letter but also recognize it. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > they're going to be repaired. Any idea if it's available as a standard > > ttf font? All I see is an .exe file, which doesn't use. I meant 'linux doesn't use' here. SignatureCheers, Bev ***************************************************************** "Why does everybody always forget the eigthth dwarf? Just because poor old Lumpy died of cancer doesn't mean he should be written out of history." -- RMassey I use a Library terminal and send mom snailmail composed with word perfect. A previous poor vision font post suggested 'NEW century schoolbook.' NEW is not available here but I started with regular 'century schoolbook'and then following pages were done with 'arial unicode' chosen for individual but defined character flow that, manages to seperate characters yet roundly flow into the next character-what the not downloadable library 'Aphont' apparently works toward. And then verdana, tahoma, and garamond for a bottom line. i asked mom to pick the most readable. an available 'papers' resources search should turn up something as the question is academically fairly obvious. have you tried 'georgia'? with my nervous system, 'georgia' as a page becomes mosiac! possibly the Aphont or arial unicode does that? does the total page picture in approach function as a introductory cognitive readablility stimulus? |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.