Increase font size for strained eyes dude?

[YanKleber]

Since a few years ago my eyes aren't the same anymore (strained) and those small fonts in Reaper are almost impossible to read for me. There is any way of increase its size?

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I'm not sure if REAPER lets you customize the font size, but a couple of options might be to decrease the overall screen resolution of your computer desktop so the pixels are bigger, or change your computer's system font size, or maybe both. The first option means you won't be able to fit as many things on your desktop, and the second option can sometimes change the way things line up in certain programs, but I'm thinking either or both of those options might make things easier on your eyes-- not just in REAPER, but when using the computer in general.

I guess another option might be to get a ginormous monitor that will display a larger image at your current desktop resolution. Most modern TVs can be used as a computer monitor, so it might even be cheaper to get a smallish-to-midsize TV for that purpose rather than a ginormous computer monitor (I haven't done any comparison shopping so I don't know what kinds of prices you could expect to be looking at).

 

[Robus]

I had the same issue and yes, there is. The most important thing I needed to fix was the size of the markers. I use them to note chord changes since I have trouble remembering how to play my own songs. The markers need to be legible from a distance of six or eight feet away, about how far I need to be from the monitor to track guitars and bass without picking up interference.

The settings you need are buried deep in menus, unfortunately. If you're not running the SWS extension package, you should download and install it as it gives you many more options and features. The settings you need will show up under the Actions menu that will appear on your menu bar after you have installed SWS.

Here's a thread on the Cockos forum. The posts at the bottom show how it's done:

Change marker name font size? - Cockos Confederated Forums

 

[YanKleber]

Yeah, running that Action that allows to edit the theme helps (it is somewhat cloudy though). The only problem is that I had to update my smooth running version to a newest one and I am not a upgrade guy. Anyway, it's done and it's the price to pay for extra features.

I should consider to buy a medium TV to use as a monitor in a short term as my vision is degrading quickly.

Until 10 years ago I could see nicely either far as well close stuff, but with aging I got strained eyes. For whose has myopia (my case) it means that you need to take glasses OFF to see near things because they get blurry with glasses. The other option is to order a medium distance glasses to use just with computer. I had one, but then it became great for day by day use and now I need a NEW medium distance one. With this glasses it used to be very comfortable to stare at the computer screen within 30" and now the comfort distance grew to 35".

Aging definitively sucks.

 

[Robus]

Playing with the background color might improve legibility too.

 

[mjbphotos]

Or give into inevitable aging: Foster Grant Fashion Readers Metal Reading Glasses Molly +1.50 | drugstore.com

 

[SeaGtGruff]

For whose has myopia (my case) it means that you need to take glasses OFF to see near things because they get blurry with glasses.

Yeah, I can definitely relate to that. Several years ago I went to the optometrist after decades of not doing that regularly, and he prescribed some progressive lenses for me. I hated them so much that a couple of years later I went back for a new checkup and insisted on getting two different pairs of glasses, one for distance and the other for reading. But it got to be a hassle having to switch them all the time, so I eventually got to where I just wear my reading glasses constantly, even to drive, because I can see okay with them (better than with the distance lenses, actually). Except I'm always taking my reading glasses off when I eat or need to read and write close up-- they're great for seeing the computer screen and TV, but not so much for anything closer than the ends of my arms.

Another vision-related problem I have is "floaters," which I've had a little bit since as long as I can remember, but which have definitely gotten worse with age. In fact, some of them tend to get in the way of whatever I'm trying to look at, especially in my right eye, which makes it seem like I've got something in (or on) my eye that's making it hard to focus.

Aging definitively sucks.

It definitely does!

 

[YanKleber]

But it got to be a hassle having to switch them all the time, so I eventually got to where I just wear my reading glasses constantly, even to drive, because I can see okay with them (better than with the distance lenses, actually). Except I'm always taking my reading glasses off when I eat or need to read and write close up-- they're great for seeing the computer screen and TV, but not so much for anything closer than the ends of my arms.

Man, definitively. A few months ago I was still swapping between my two pair of glasses and one day walking on the street I passed in front of a lenses store and the girl standing at the door asked me if I didn't want to make a 'pro free cleaning' in my glasses. I said 'sure' and pointed to her a couple spots in my glasses with some kind of green stuff that I wanted removed. She said that it would take about 1 hour to clean because it would be necessary to disassemble the whole crap. I left glasses there and went do my errands. When I came back around 3 hours later my glasses were within a bubbling potion and when she saw me she paled instantly and then ran to pick up the pieces and assemble my glasses. As soon I picked the glasses I noticed that they had made some kind of shit in its lenses (it was completely stained) and she tried to convince me that it 'already was that way'. Long story short, I made the manager of the store order a brand new pair or lenses for my glasses in replacement of the ones they had ruined. Because the way as it happened it was a big bureaucracy and they kept my glasses for 15 days or so. In the meantime I kept using my medium distance glasses, and when I picked the long distance with the new lenses, guess what: it seemed to be super-strong and I felt like if someone were trying to pull my eyes off the orbits. I suspected that they could not have done the right lenses I went to another optics store and asked them to verify the lenses and lenses were correct! WTF?!? Anyway, since then I started to use the medium distance one for everything and abandoned the other pair. Now I find myself taking it for eat, doing crosswords, using my wife's cellphone or tablet and everything else I need to look up close. When I am wearing the glasses, exactly like you, I suffer of the infamous 'short arm syndrome'. LoL.

Another vision-related problem I have is "floaters," which I've had a little bit since as long as I can remember, but which have definitely gotten worse with age. In fact, some of them tend to get in the way of whatever I'm trying to look at, especially in my right eye, which makes it seem like I've got something in (or on) my eye that's making it hard to focus.

I have this too since I was a kid (I used to say that I could see small worms floating in front of my eyes). It is considered normal for whose suffer of myopia. HOWEVER, you should be aware that a sudden appearance of too many of them or the appearance of a too big one may be a sign of bleeding in the bottom of your eye and that may eventually turn into a retina detachment. It is not me that am saying that, these are words of more than one optometrist I had along my life. They say that when you got sudden several new floaters or even a new big one you should schedule a visit to the doctor. Probably it is nothing, but it won't hurt to go see your optometrist.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I hear you. I saw something about that when I decided to research "floaters" on the web one day. But it hasn't been a sudden increase, just something that gradually got more noticeable over the years, especially because of the one or two in my right eye that seem to like getting in the way of whatever I'm looking at. Back when I got the prescription for progressives, I did ask the optometrist about them, and everything was okay as far as that goes, thank goodness. My sister's dog just went blind around Christmas time because of sudden retinal detachment, and I had a coworker several decades ago who was almost blind because of retinal detachment-- he could still see, but had severe tunnel vision.

 

[Farview]

I got progressive lenses a couple years ago. Once I got used to looking out of different parts of the lenses to do different tasks, I was cool with it. But I do wish that the far vision part was a little bigger.

I did buy far vision lenses for my driving glasses (sun glasses)

 

[YanKleber]

I hear you. I saw something about that when I decided to research "floaters" on the web one day. But it hasn't been a sudden increase, just something that gradually got more noticeable over the years, especially because of the one or two in my right eye that seem to like getting in the way of whatever I'm looking at. Back when I got the prescription for progressives, I did ask the optometrist about them, and everything was okay as far as that goes, thank goodness. My sister's dog just went blind around Christmas time because of sudden retinal detachment, and I had a coworker several decades ago who was almost blind because of retinal detachment-- he could still see, but had severe tunnel vision.

Michael, during many years of my life I had some kind of 'paranoia' on become blind. The least thing that appeared on my eyes I ran to the optometrist and made a lot of research about the subject so I ended learning something about this. The tunnel vision that you refer to actually is not caused by retina detachment, so probably what your fellow got was an eye disease called Glaucoma. It is a terrible disease that can catch anyone and its main problem is that it is a silent issue and unless you go to the optometrist regularly you may detect it too late when it already caused a lot of damage. Glaucoma is nothing else than excess of pressure within your eyes and is caused by an excessive production of intra-ocular liquid together with a deficiency of your body on eliminate it. The more strange is that it is NOT regarding to people that suffer of hypertension, what means that you may have a totally normal blood pressure and suffer of glaucoma and vice-versa. The exam to check the eye pressure is made with a electronic machine where a smooth probe with a soft purple light in the tip touches your eye. It just take a couple seconds and it doesn't hurt. Anyway, what glaucoma does to your eye? The excessive pressure kills the optical nerves and it does that from outside to inside (that's why people with this disease gets the 'tunnel' vision, that is, they start to lose peripheral vision first and then it goes closing until the person become totally blind) and it is irreversible till the date. So, this is something to keep some attention: next time you go to your optometrist ask him to check your eye pressure. If the person figures out that has glaucoma is not a reason for panic since when it is detected on time it can be controlled with a simple eye drop that will keep your eyes functioning till the rest of your life.



Now for the floaters, I am happy that yours seem to be pretty normal. Now if you are getting annoyed by them I have heard that there is a treatment for it based on laser beam. As far as I could get the optometrist zaps the floaters breaking the big ones in small pieces that won't bug you. I had a friend from Seattle that told me to have done this treatment and that it worked fine. Unfortunately here in Brasil I don't know about any optometrist that do it and my floaters are not too much annoying. I think that there in USA you won't have too much trouble on find someone that do that, and maybe it would worth to give it a check!

 

[SeaGtGruff]

Oh yeah, having someone shoot laser beams into my eyes sounds like fun! (Not.)

You're right, now that you mention it I think it was glaucoma, because I remember thinking at the time, "Well, I have nothing to worry about on that account" because I was a pot head back then, and pot usage is supposed to prevent glaucoma. Of course, seeing as how I haven't used pot in many years, I guess I should start worrying about it!

 

[Armistice]

Sad old bunch, aren't we? I have progressive lenses for the world, and single vision for screens. Playing guitar (mainly sitting) and actual reading (ie. books etc) I go nekkid. As I would rather be torn limb from limb than appear on a stage in glasses, when I was playing live I had a set of contacts made with one eye (left) perfect for guitar fretboard distance and one eye with a bit better range but by no means "normal" refraction.

So I could see the fretboard, the rest of the band and the sound guy OK, but the audience was a bit blurry. I was kind of OK with that... they weren't all that good looking in real life.

 

[YanKleber]

As I would rather be torn limb from limb than appear on a stage in glasses

 

[YanKleber]

Oh yeah, having someone shoot laser beams into my eyes sounds like fun! (Not.)

You're right, now that you mention it I think it was glaucoma, because I remember thinking at the time, "Well, I have nothing to worry about on that account" because I was a pot head back then, and pot usage is supposed to prevent glaucoma. Of course, seeing as how I haven't used pot in many years, I guess I should start worrying about it!

LoL, one of those crazy non-sense excuses to use the stuff! THIS one I didn't heard of yet!