Watching TV with Vision Loss: What Can Help

And we do get a lot of questions about helping and problem solving when it comes to TV, because I think a lot of people, you know, they start to have trouble seeing what's on the screen.

And what used to be this really great way to relax and unwind is suddenly really frustrating.

And I think people, when they get to that point where, hey, I'm struggling with the TV, the first reaction is, well, I've got to go buy a new TV or I have to get some kind of special equipment.

And ultimately, you might end up doing that.

But that's not always the first step, right? Are there things that people can do right away if they're listening, maybe some things that they can just go try in their living room?

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

And, you know, I'm just reminded back in the day I used to work with people one on one.

And I can't tell you, Ricky, how many times I would walk into the home and the TV viewing was the reason that I was there.

And I would walk in and, you know, the Chase Lounge was 20 feet away.

Right.

The TV was probably, you know, maybe a 20 inch TV.

And it was right next to a wide open window that had direct sunlight coming in.

You know, everybody has their spaces designed for them.

So I recognize that there are usually reasons for this, right? But, you know, one of the first things that people can do is to consider moving their favorite chair or something a little bit closer to the TV.

And then the lighting plays a huge issue.

So anytime you can eliminate some of the direct lighting, either with curtains or a sheer blinds, anything like that, That's going to help a lot with the contrast because that just kind of washes out your eyes or washes out the screen.

So those are the two big things is just kind of moving a little bit closer and then adjusting the lighting a little bit so that makes the screen a little bit easier to see.

Yeah, that's helpful.

And is when it comes to the size of TV, I mean, I remember when a 20 inch was standard and now 80 inches, you know, 55, whatever.

I was just curious, is bigger always better or where do you come down on that?

You know, it can be, especially, you know, if you do have a 20 inch, maybe moving to a 30 or 40 inch TV might make a little bit of sense.

But, you know, sometimes, and we address this too when we're looking at computer screens, you don't want to find yourself in a situation where the screen is so big that you are craning your neck as it moves around to follow stuff on the TV.

I always suggest people go into Staples or Best Buy or, you know, any one of the box stores that has TVs.

And kind of walk down the aisle and take a look.

You know, which TV are you comfortably able to look at from, I don't know, maybe three or four feet away, right, without craning your neck? So that would give you an idea, I think, of the right size.