Helping Grandmas old eyes read.

[Pydpiper]

Had a visit with my very old grandmother yesterday, she was going through some old paperwork and came across some letters her Dad and children had wrote her over the years, some of her kids have already passed and these letters mean a lot to her.
I could not read them to her because they are all in Dutch.
Is there anything I can buy her to help her see these things? She wears glasses but they do not seem to help.
Any thoughts?

 

[Mike Painter]

Scan them to a PDF file which can be blown up to any size.
There are also devices designed to do this. You put the letter under a camera and it can blow the image up to any size.
Some people can only "read" a letter at a time.
Here is a cheap one and Google "magnifying readers" to get a lot more.
Contact a local Independent living service for more help and information.There may be some funds available to help her

 

[Sgt. LED]

My grandfather used one of the camera and monitor systems to read the bible.

He was able to ues it pretty easily after someone we set it up for him.

 

[flashfan]

Pydpiper, do you know what the problem is with your grandmother's vision? My elderly father's vision has been very poor for most of his adult life--about ten years or so ago, he was diagnosed with macular degeneration. Glasses did little or nothing for him either.

I don't recall clearly, but I have seen on the internet regarding macular degeneration, various devices to aid reading/vision. I would think that knowing what the underlying problem is, would help in finding a solution.

 

[Pydpiper]

Thanks guys!
I do not know specifically what is wrong, no. She can see around the room fine it is just when she needs to read something.
She is 90, lives in a big old farm house, alone. Sane as the day is long but just needs some help with the close up stuff.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

If she's only having trouble with close-up reading, I'm guessing it's plain old presbyopia (a gradually increasing need for magnification as the eye's lenses lose their ability to focus close-up). I second the idea of scanning these documents to PDF at a decent resolution so she can blow them up on the screen. She also might need a better reading light with reduced blue content for glare reduction, as well as a new pair of reading glasses.

Good luck, Pydpiper. We should all be so lucky to reach her age, and no doubt that if we do, we'll need the same kind of assistance in discerning small type.

 

[Pydpiper]

Scanning them is not really an option, she doesn't have a computer to view them on, and we are talking boxes and boxes of papers. Matter of fact, grandma still has and uses a rotary phone.
I like the magnifier in Mikes post, and just may get one for her. When she is not gardening or baking she is in her recliner watching soaps, so the TV thing may be just the ticket.
I truly appreciate the help guys, it was pretty disheartening to be of such little use to her on this.

 

[download]

Maybe a few pieces traditional magnifying glasses would help too.
Old tech, no electronic failure, no setup. direct use.
Size like 3" or larger and buy more than one, it will be broken someday, so she get backup. :twothumbs

 

[geepondy]

May I suggest a simple eye exam? As Photowrangler suggested, a simple pair of reading glasses might solve her problem. When my Ma was alive, she could see sharp as a tack across the room or up the street but couldn't even read normal sized type without her reading glasses.