Help with reading

[Jo dodds]

My teenage daughter has KC and is studying for gcses. I have noticed she squints severely and has trouble reading text books etc. at home she uses a magnifying glass which really helps, but she doesn't want to take it to school as she hates bringing attention on herself. Does any one have any suggestions as to where I could find a more discreet or "cool" alternative that she could use at school?

[eyepod]

Hi,
It could be worth looking at an e-reader like Amazon's Kindle. It lets you adjust the size of the text. Not every book is available in the Kindle format though so it would be worth checking what texts are available. Also, diagrams aren't always as clear as they are in print although you can usually zoom in on these.
Best wishes,
Eyepod

[sarkac]

Hi,
I have the same problem too, some things that help a little bit are :
1) Low power reading glasses
2) Glasses which cut the glare from the page. I dont know why , but thick framed fiber glasses help me do that.
3) Reading in bright light
If i think of anything else I will let you know

[Anne Klepacz]

Hi Jo,
This is so hard for youngsters because, as you say, at that age the last thing they want to do is to draw attention to themselves. But equally, having KC shouldn't affect anyone's chances in education. Is your daughter's school aware that she has KC? There's a leaflet 'Supporting Students with KC' that you can download from the home page of this website www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/sitev3/publications.html which might help. And there is all sorts of amazing technology around now. If you contact the education team at your local RNIB or Action for Blind People branch, they should have some suggestions.
Anne