I have a kindle which I was given a year ago. I tried to read on it then and it made me dizzy. It is an enormous pain as I am a voracious reader and would love to be able to use it.
Frustrated by my initial experience, I thought I would give it another go tonight, same result. Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas why? It’s a matt screen, not bright. I can use a computer happily if the screen is dim, I always adjust the brightness, but a kindle screen is fairly dark anyway. I simply don’t understand it. I can’t bear to think that as the world moves towards using kindle more and more I will be left behind in the dark ages of paperbacks.
Any experiences or thoughts would be appreciated. Anyone tried to tough it out and just use the kindle till they get used to it?
I don’t have a kindle but I have an iPad 2 and I rarely have problems reading on it. I actually have more problems reading a regular paperback. If I couldn’t read, I would need to be committed into a mental institution :roll: reading is what keeps me sane through all this. So, needless to say I feel for you and I wish I had a solution to offer for you. Do you know anyone that has an iPad that you can try for a couple days? Maybe if that worked better, than you can sell your kindle on eBay or amazon and buy an iPad. I was actually going to get the iPad 3 until I read about Scott saying that he had a horrible time with it and returned it. He says he has no problem with the iPad 2.
Anyway, I’d be curious to see how others respond that have kindles. Us avid readers can not go without our reading so I’m praying that there’s an easy solution out there for you. Maybe migraine glasses??? Maybe it’s just a matter of pushing through until your eyes and brain adjust.
I love my Kindle, but I didn’t have one back in the bad ol’ days. Does it help to make the font larger? My vestibular therapist recommended cutting a stripe out of paper so that you just see the line you’re reading. I couldn’t read at all when I was really sick. (Doing great now)
Thanks so much for your replies. I didn’t buy the kindle myself it was a present, so wasn’t aware there is a backlit one. I’m presuming mine isn’t - it is a dull screen which can’t be read in the dark like a computer could.
That’s a good idea re the ipad. Is it possible to dim the screen on an ipad? And can you purchase books on it in the same way as you can with a kindle?
What worries me is that I can only use a computer if the screen is very dim otherwise I get dizzy very fast. One of my biggest triggers for dizziness is bright sunlight or bright computer light. This is why I am so confused by the kindle problem - it’s a dull, dull screen, duller than my computer that I use every day - I simply don’t understand it.
Dizzymingo, I’m afraid the font size won’t make any difference. I have no problems at all reading anything else, even if the font is tiny, it just seems to be the screen that is the problem.
I have to say I’m somewhat surprised by your problem with a non-backlit Kindle. Migraine problems are often light-related, which mean that computer screens (including the iPad) can be a nightmare for people with MAV. But the non-backlit Kindle should in theory not be as much of a problem. I would say it might be a focus issue except that you say you don’t have issues with other reading. I don’t know enough about the technology of the Kindle to speculate why it would cause you problems, but it surprises me that it does. I would have guessed that the lack of a backlight would have been a very good thing for migraine sufferers.
If you have trouble with computer screens I would not recommend trying to use an iPad for extended reading. I never tried to use an iPad directly, but i found the Macbook screens to be among the worst in terms of triggering my migraines (pre-medication). Obviously Macbook does not equal iPad, but it also doesn’t bode well.
Since writing the last post, I went back and looked at the kindle again and I think I have worked it out. Even though it isn’t backlit, as I move the screen around to read it, even fractionally as I am holding it my hands, the perspex screen is bouncing a glare in to my eyes off different bits of the perspex. Any glare bouncing off anything from the sun will make me immediately dizzy too. I think I don’t have the same problems with a dim computer screen as the screen is static and it is me who moves in relation to it. Or alternatively the very fact that the screen is dimly lit means I get less or no glare, if that makes sense.
I have just purchased an anti glare screen for the kindle off amazon, so in case anyone else encounters this problem will let you know how it goes. I might be wrong, but now I’ve worked it out it does seem to make sense.
That’s a good idea re the ipad. Is it possible to dim the screen on an ipad? And can you purchase books on it in the same way as you can with a kindle?
What worries me is that I can only use a computer if the screen is very dim otherwise I get dizzy very fast. One of my biggest triggers for dizziness is bright sunlight or bright computer light. This is why I am so confused by the kindle problem - it’s a dull, dull screen, duller than my computer that I use every day - I simply don’t understand
H
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Hi Hannah, yes on the iPad, you can dim or brighten it as you need. I too am triggered by computers and still can’t sit on a computer. What I do on the iPad reading app is put it to “sepia” mode which is really easy on my eyes. And also, do you read it lying down? For me, I ABSOLUTELY have to be lying down with the iPad at eye level so that my head is neither looking up or down as that will still trigger dizziness for me.
And yes, the iPad works the exact same way as kindle. You can download books and they are almost always the same price. As a matter of a fact, you can use kindle on the iPad.
But hopefully the glare cover will work and you can enjoy your kindle. Let us know. I’m sure your findings will help many others.
