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Poor eyesight. Would I Benefit from upgrading my late 2013 iMac to Retina iMac?
- Thread starter jaybar
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You should probably check one out at store at different resolutions.
I know someone who is legally blind who works on a computer for their job and I believe they use a very large display to enlarge the pixels.
Maybe using a large screen TV display connected to your iMac would work better for you than the larger pixel density of the Retina iMac.
I know someone who is legally blind who works on a computer for their job and I believe they use a very large display to enlarge the pixels.
Maybe using a large screen TV display connected to your iMac would work better for you than the larger pixel density of the Retina iMac.
OP:
I'd like to offer a suggestion that might be of use to you with your current iMac.
Have you considered trying one of the 27" "mid-resolution" displays?
By "mid-rez", I mean a 24" display with a native resolution of 1920x1080.
This is roughly the equivalent of taking a 24" display and "enlarging the pixels" to fit a 27" form factor.
The result is that the pixels are larger.
Younger folks with good eyesight will look at one of these (even at 1920x1080) and blurt out, "that's too grainy for me!"
But for us older folks, or for people with not-so-good eyesight, it's MUCH easier to see and read.
I'm using a Viewsonic 2770, like this:
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VX2...id=1414942989&sr=8-1&keywords=viewsonic+2770\
(no financial interest)
... but there are numerous other IPS displays using the same form factor out there.
A good place to check for them is by viewing the guide on this page:
http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php
Cost will run in the $250+/- range.
Attaching one of these to your existing iMac might offer a usable solution...
I'd like to offer a suggestion that might be of use to you with your current iMac.
Have you considered trying one of the 27" "mid-resolution" displays?
By "mid-rez", I mean a 24" display with a native resolution of 1920x1080.
This is roughly the equivalent of taking a 24" display and "enlarging the pixels" to fit a 27" form factor.
The result is that the pixels are larger.
Younger folks with good eyesight will look at one of these (even at 1920x1080) and blurt out, "that's too grainy for me!"
But for us older folks, or for people with not-so-good eyesight, it's MUCH easier to see and read.
I'm using a Viewsonic 2770, like this:
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VX2...id=1414942989&sr=8-1&keywords=viewsonic+2770\
(no financial interest)
... but there are numerous other IPS displays using the same form factor out there.
A good place to check for them is by viewing the guide on this page:
http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/guides/s-ips-lcd-list.php
Cost will run in the $250+/- range.
Attaching one of these to your existing iMac might offer a usable solution...
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Allow me to clarify. I am basically satisfied with my current iMac. When I upgraded to Yosemitrme, the font became somewhat blurry. I have no interest in downgrading to Mavricks. I have no interest in a large TV monitor. I am asking a simple question. Would a Retina iMac be of any benefit, given where I sit?
My honest opinion is that the fonts on Yosemite are crystal clear on a retina display. It's really easy on the eyes to read text.
Well here's the thing....if you lower the resolution to get larger text, you would defeat the entire purpose of a 5K display. Yes, you get larger text, but you lose a lot of sharpness. I'm legally blind but I never lower my screen resolution. To me, a better option is to learn all the font enlarging tricks. Macs have a full screen zoom option, for example. Also, for my web browser I do not use Safari because it does not save your zoom settings--which is highly annoying. I use Chrome, which does save zoom and font settings. And the Magic Mouse is actually quite amazing with a zoomed screen with its effortless horizontal scroll. Most other programs/apps have tricks to enlarge text if you play around with them.
But in short....yes! Get the retina iMac if you can afford it. I'm dying for one myself.
I have the same problem as you and why I hesitated going to Mac from a PC before.
I can't fully answer your question because I don't take possession of my new retina iMac until tomorrow but what I can tell you is that I purposely went down to the Apple store to check it out.
In our community computer lab they have iMac's for use but they are obviously the previous model. When I set those to a resolution that was better for my sight problems, the text was in deed larger and easier to read but alas, it was NOT sharp and quite blurry. (To be expected)
When I went down to the Apple store and played around with the Retina iMac there was a setting in the resolutions for "Larger Text" which I set it at that and WOW! It was still sharp, beautiful and easy to read.
I could only play with it for a little bit because there were other people waiting to try it out as well.
I would highly recommend the Retina iMac for aging eyes given what I saw albeit only for a minute.
It might be a good idea to update your post a little later when more people have actually gained possession of the Retina iMac. Also, if you live close at all to an Apple Store, if would be beneficial for you to go down and check it out and even get help from an Apple employee before plunking down a lot of cash.
GODD LUCK!
I can't fully answer your question because I don't take possession of my new retina iMac until tomorrow but what I can tell you is that I purposely went down to the Apple store to check it out.
In our community computer lab they have iMac's for use but they are obviously the previous model. When I set those to a resolution that was better for my sight problems, the text was in deed larger and easier to read but alas, it was NOT sharp and quite blurry. (To be expected)
When I went down to the Apple store and played around with the Retina iMac there was a setting in the resolutions for "Larger Text" which I set it at that and WOW! It was still sharp, beautiful and easy to read.
I could only play with it for a little bit because there were other people waiting to try it out as well.
I would highly recommend the Retina iMac for aging eyes given what I saw albeit only for a minute.
It might be a good idea to update your post a little later when more people have actually gained possession of the Retina iMac. Also, if you live close at all to an Apple Store, if would be beneficial for you to go down and check it out and even get help from an Apple employee before plunking down a lot of cash.
GODD LUCK!
You might get a more useful response if we could see out of your eyes. Since we can't your best bet is to try one at your local store to determine any benefit for yourself.
Just enable the double-click "Smart Zoom" and use it when you need it, then double-click back to normal size. Put your cursor in the text block width you are using, and that will be the zoomed width for the page.
You can also enable "Accessibility/Zoom/Use scroll gesture with modifier key to zoom" and get any size you want.
You can also enable "Accessibility/Zoom/Use scroll gesture with modifier key to zoom" and get any size you want.
My experience (as someone with visual impairment) is that it is 100% worth it. I would get atrocious eye strain looking at a regular display, the fuzzy edges of the text made reading painful.
It is a night-and-day difference between retina and non-retina, at least as far as text is concerned. Especially when making out smaller bits of text, or when sitting further back from the monitor. What was illegible is now clear.
It is a night-and-day difference between retina and non-retina, at least as far as text is concerned. Especially when making out smaller bits of text, or when sitting further back from the monitor. What was illegible is now clear.
Curious to know what your level reading glass you are at, if you happen to know?
Secondly, are these problems with eyes happening within the first hour of being at a computer OR after 8 hours?
I ask for my eyes are getting really blurry at nighttime but i have also been at a 13" MBP for most of 10 hours but earlier in the day I don't have the problem, hence IS the problem aging eyes OR just being at the computer too long and anyones eyes would be badly affected?
I'm old and wear trifocals but I've ordered a retina iMac because I spent three weeks on the road with my rMBP (which had never been my daily driver) and when I got back to my Dell U2711 display I couldn't stand the way the text looked.
I'm fussier than anybody I know about text, and retina-level resolutions are perfect for me. Characters are amazingly sharp. Not a pixel to be seen, at any reasonable distance.
So, OP, I suggest going to look at any retina screen you can get to. I think that even if it's a 15" rMBP, you'll know immediately that this is for you (or not).
I'm fussier than anybody I know about text, and retina-level resolutions are perfect for me. Characters are amazingly sharp. Not a pixel to be seen, at any reasonable distance.
So, OP, I suggest going to look at any retina screen you can get to. I think that even if it's a 15" rMBP, you'll know immediately that this is for you (or not).