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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2019 - 08 - 09 - ID#co0j0i
5
How are your experiences with using multiple monitors? And tips for what monitors are better for visually impaired? (self.Blind)
submitted by Huskerdoggo
Hi, i have been using a single 27 inch monitor for years now, being very close up to it, but im looking into getting a 2nd monitor to improve programming efficiency, watch videos while doing something else and little bit of streaming. However i don't know what monitor should be best for me and was wondering what your experience may be, or if you have any tips.

I'm mainly asking about the size of the monitor and without using programs like zoomtext. As i currently have a 27 inch monitor I'm afraid another 27 inch would be to big to where i have to turn my head way too much/far, still get my face up closer and cause neck pains. Im also afraid getting a smaller one would make it to small as where i would not be able to see anything on screen.
lhamil64 1 points 3y ago
I have multiple monitors at home and at work, but I rarely use them. For my setups, I have my primary monitor on an arm that I can pull in really close (which makes a screen magnifier unnecessary for me). In both setups I have an L-shape configuration for my desk, so I have the second monitor on the other side (so it's off to my left). But because I need to be so close, I almost never use it (since I would need to lean over to it and strain my neck/back).

I've though of a couple ways to make the secondary monitor more useful, but haven't actually tried them. One would be to mount it on an arm as well, so that both monitors would be really close. I've also thought of somehow mounting it above the primary so that I could just look up at it, but that would need a really heavy-duty arm and honestly I'm not sure how practical it is.

Something else to consider is utilizing multiple desktops. Since I personally need to look over and totally shift focus from one screen to the other, having a second virtual desktop is essentially the same thing. On Windows 10, you can hit Ctrl+Win+Left/Right to switch between them and move windows between them with Win+Tab. Here's a video I found about it: https://youtu.be/7HJbPDxzDqU
codeplaysleep 1 points 3y ago
Personally, I can't use two monitors. My field of vision is too narrow - it causes neck strain and I lose the cursor moving between the two, lots of head turning, etc. I have, however, switched to an ultrawide monitor for the extra screen real-estate (I'm a software developer) and have found it to be a good middle ground. I have it mounted on a monitor arm, so I can easily move it as-needed and free up more space on the desk.
PungentMushrooms 1 points 3y ago
Not sure if this could be helpful for you but my setup at work consists of two monitors where one of them has a docked Windows magnifier stretched to fill the whole screen. That way, if I need to show something to someone they can look at the normal monitor while I look at the magnified one.

If you already sit very close to the screen, I don't think it would be helpful to use two monitors to display multiple tabs at once since you're going to have to move around alot to make use of it. Better off just using one monitor efficiently.
Huskerdoggo [OP] 1 points 3y ago
that's a cool idea of doing that.

I'm more gonna use a 2nd monitor more for leisure than work. me saying to improve work efficiency was more to make a bigger sum of uses of a 2nd monitor tbh
Carnegie89 1 points 3y ago
I have been using a dual monitor setup for almost 10 years now. Switching to dual monitors was one of the best decisions I made. It improves productivity drastically. I use a 27 inch LED Asus and 25-inch LCD hp. I want to replace the 25 inch one with a 27 inch for consistency.

It does take some getting used to but not that long. Maybe a couple of weeks you'll get used to the new layout. While making that change you might want to invest in good wrist rest for your keyboard and mouse, especially the mouse.

Another thing to keep in mind would be the accessibility software you're using. Make sure it will work well in a dual monitor setup.
Huskerdoggo [OP] 3 points 3y ago
2 years ago at internship they offered me 2 monitors but i couldn't get used to it (didnt fully try to use both to begin with though), so i ended up using 1 the entire internship. the setup there was also kinda restricted and the worst problem the pc being a mac.

at home i think i'll eventually get used to having 2 monitors but i'm just not sure what size to get with my current 27 inch.

as for accessibility software, i've been getting by fine with just crtl + and windows magnifier. also not sure how magnifier works with multi monitors but i read that zoomtext works well with it.
last time i used zoomtext was with learning blind typing some 10+ years ago
MostlyBlindGamer 1 points 3y ago
Windows Magnifier doesn't work very well at all with multiples monitors. It will be better if they're the same size and resolution though.

I use a 32 inch monitor and I can place Windows on the sides or in quadrants and that works OK. I also have a second 24 inch monitor for music or videos - I don't use it for productivity, but it keeps clutter down.

I wouldn't want two monitors side by side or am ultra wide monitor because I have no vision in one eye. If your field of view allows it, I would suggest an ultra wide monitor for productivity.
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 3y ago
First off, a monitor arm will be your bestest friend for reducing neck strain.

Also, if you want a bigger monitor and think two might be too big, consider an ultrawide curved monitor. It's an expensive solution but probably the best to avoid having to crane your neck all the way over if you're super close to the screen.

Pretty sure You'll like the monitor arm at least though.
Huskerdoggo [OP] 1 points 3y ago
yeah i'll look into the monitor arm.

i do wanna have 2 monitors over 1 bigger on though. i dont know how an ultra wide screen would react to fullscreen applications
fbracing02 1 points 3y ago
I use a 27 as my main and a 25 as a second. really the second is only useful for passive things like youtube. Its too far away to be really productive.
lazer_aio 1 points 3y ago
I have both my monitors on a homemade monitor stand, Wich allows me to rotate and move my monitors in almost every way
lhamil64 2 points 3y ago
Any chance you could show some pictures?
lazer_aio 1 points 3y ago
I can't send pictures via the comments, otherwise I would
lhamil64 1 points 3y ago
Yeah you'd have to upload to another site like imgur.com and post a link
ArchCarcass 1 points 3y ago
I used a 27inch monitor and got a monitor arm. It solved all my neck and back pain because I could just move it forward to suit my needs.

I would recommend a monitor arm that can support two monitors, and one that you can adjust freely.
Huskerdoggo [OP] 1 points 3y ago
i'll look into it, thx
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