Best computer monitor for poor eyesight

Hi,

I'm in my late 20s and have pretty high myopia (approx -10) and have suffered from a detached retina (and don't have great vision in that eye).

I use computers a lot for my job and have recently received a new laptop from work. I'm finding the screen very small  and uncomfortable to use, so am thinking about buying a monitor for home to link up to my laptop.

My question is whether is what should be the optimal size for a computer screen; is it better for the eyes to not look at a very big screen (and hence reduce the amount of light entering the eyes), or is it better to have a bigger screen so as to reduce eyestrain?

Any help would be appreciated!

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear walsca,

I would recommend that you speak with your eyeMD who is familiar with your eyes.  Size and resolution are two issues which may not go together.  Seek clear quality screens and use the one which feels easiest to read.

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California

[berrywoo]

computer usage, reading, watching tv, etc. don't cause eye damage.

Pick a computer monitor that you feel comfortable with, if you feel bothered by glare then get a glare shield or you can get an acetate filter (which depending on the color can give you enhanced contrast). If the images on the screen are still too small then you can make adjustments to the image sizes on a windows or mac OS easily enough (you might want to try this on your laptop). If that fails invest in software like zoomtext.

[AntonReiser]

I would buy a big screen and place it at an intermediate distance.