It was so wonderful to see and hear people exchanging experiences and tips on Tuesday evening, 26 January (morning for those who joined us from New Zealand!).
Here are just a few notes from our discussions.
Jigsaws online
There are lots of websites offering jigsaws to do onscreen. I tried TheJigsawPuzzles.com.You can change the background and make the image bigger, but obviously you are better placed than I am to road test whether it is fully accessible for you.
Colour by numbers online
One of our members recommended Happy Colour. You can find this on the Apple app store or on Google Play.
Audio description for TV
There’s an article on the RNIB website about getting audio description on TV.
Tinted glasses – yellow, brown or grey?
Following a little internet research on coloured lenses for glasses, it seems that yellow tinted glasses, whilst reducing glare, can actually reduce visual acuity and 3D vision, so probably not ideal for people with nystagmus. They seem to be promoted to aid night driving! The difference between grey and brown lens tints seems to be that there is less colour distortion with grey. It’s definitely best to seek professional advice from an optician.
Blue light glasses
Lenses to counter blue light from screens are widely available. I found this article by Specsavers. It includes this quote from The College of Optometrists: ‘The best scientific evidence currently available does not support the use of blue-blocking spectacle lenses in the general population to improve visual performance, alleviate the symptoms of eye fatigue or visual discomfort, improve sleep quality or conserve macula health.’
Visual Crowding
You can read a recent blog post here from the Nystagmus Network about Vijay Taylor’s recent research into the nystagmus related phenomenon of visual crowding (the challenge of picking out a single object or face). The post contains a link to the online publication of Vijay’s PhD paper.
Enlarging your cursor
There’s an article on Ability Net taking you through steps to enlarge your mouse on Windows 10. Apple have a similar item on their website on enlarging the cursor on a MAC.
Navigation
The apps mentioned to help with finding your way around on foot are Soundscape and Where’s the Path. Find them in the app store.
Looking after yourself
There are some excellent tips on staying safe and protecting your mental health and wellbeing on the Retina UK website.
Keeping Active
Whilst we remain locked down and the weather is cold, there are some great tips for indoor exercises and activities on the NHS website.
Staying connected – our Group Gmail
The Nystagmus Network offers forum members the chance to join a Gmail group for people with CN so they can keep in touch with each other more easily by email between zoom calls.
Facebook Group
Finally, please do join the Nystagmus Network Facebook group for adults living with CN. It’s there for you to help you connect with others.
If you would like to receive an invitation to the next forum, please contact us.
