Reading off the Computer Screen

Hi everyone,

I am new to Logos, and am still adapting to reading off the screen for an extended period of time. This may sound odd, but I am wondering if any of you have suggestions on how to go about this? Do you have any tips for sustained reading? How do you keep your eyes from going excessively dry? Are there any settings that you find helpful? Any pointers would help!

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Jacob Hantla

Here's just a few quick tips. You'll get used to it and eventually (at least I did) find reading even large sections preferable on the screen:

Keep the screen below your eye level (this helps keep you eyelids down). So raise your chair and good posture at a desk. But I prefer to use my netbook for long reading and hold it low by my lap, like I would a normal book.
Keep other lights on in the room. Reading in a dark room off a bright screen tires my eyes out quicker
Don't let columns of written text go longer than about 7-10 words in width.
Also, if you are reading long sections, get comfortable, bump the zoom up and use your space bar to advance. A lot of the tiredness of reading a computer can be eliminated from moving a little further away from the screen and sitting comfortably.
Finally, even though I do most of my Bible reading on screen, for extended study of either the Bible or a work that makes reference to the Bible I keep my Bible open next to the computer. It helps me to switch back and forth sometimes. Also it helps my spacial recognition so that I can associate what I read with the location on my Bible page for recall during studying and counseling.

I hope that helps. I'd love to hear what others have to say too.

David Gullick

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/112614#Comment_112614

A good monitor makes a world of difference in this. Just try reading on a standard monitor compared to a new Mac monitor. I've even taken to doing extended reading on my i-phone as the screen is much easier on my eyes then my computer monitors.

Mathew Voth

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/112623#Comment_112623

What are the best options for those of us who would rather not by a Mac? Are there laptops with screen that are better to read off of than others? To the previous poster, thanks for all the tips!! I will try these...

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/112627#Comment_112627

You can also set the colors to be easier on your eyes. Some people like to use a light grey background instead of white. You can change this setting in Tools > Program Settings (change the setting for Resource Panel Background).

There's also another whole thread on this question here with various other suggestions: http://community.logos.com/forums/t/11672.aspx

Mike T

Another important consideration is the brightness of your monitor screen. I work on my PC all day long, and after 8 hours or so my eyes used to become so bleary tha I had difficulty focusing on anything - on the PC or not. So I turned the brightness down on my monitor, and although colors don't "pop" like they used to, I can now work much longer on the PC without eye fatigue...

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/112633#Comment_112633

Here is an article, Computer Eye Strain: 10 Steps for Relief, written by a Doctor of Optometry:

http://www.allaboutvision.com/cvs/irritated.htm

Roger Feenstra

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/112623#Comment_112623

Just try reading on a standard monitor compared to a new Mac monitor.

I just bought my wife the 27" iMac. The screen resolution is unbelievable. On the other hand, I have a Hanns-G 28" monitor for my PC. It is okay, but not as clear and crisp as the Mac. Apple just makes good stuff that works well, and I'm looking forward to reading on the iPad.

(‾◡◝)

With respect to general reading, I have been wondering about using one of those small, high intensity projectors that can project onto a wall or a screen. Seems like one would have a lot more control over viewing angle, size, seating position/recumbency, brightness, contrast, etc.

... has anyone tried it?