I feel embarrassed when people comment on my screen settings. I know this is ridiculous, please help me get over it.

[BurningRubber]

I started a new job a few months ago and one of the systems I have to use is really old. I didn't realise this before taking on the job and tbh I wouldn't have taken the job if I did realise because it is causing me no end of problems. The system has very small text. I have keratoconus which makes small text look blurry and unfortunately I also use drops and creams for high eye pressure and corneal erosion which also makes close work blurry. Basically my eyes are a bit rubbish but most of the time it's not a problem as you can enlarge screens and have read aloud and that's what I do. But this system is so old that none of this works on it. The only thing I can do is have it on a separate screen and change the settings and tbh it still looks weird and I have to do things like scroll across and down the window to reach the end of a line. I actually hate it! But what I also hate is colleagues coming up to my desk and saying things like "ooh your screen looks funny" or "I can't look at things on your screen, can't you change it back?" Also if someone is trying to show me a new part/process of the system they're doing it on their screen, and I can't see it. I have to write down what they say word for word and then when I'm back on my screen work out how it corresponds.

Actually reading through all that I'm thinking that I can't keep doing this job 😞 But also I get very put on edge by all the comments.

Yes, you can get Zoomtext. But also the larger screen will really help to reduce the scrolling. What font size do you use OP?

At my last job I had a guy with pretty bad eyes working for me who needed to zoom in a lot. So I got him a 48" screen.

Any TV can be used as a monitor, so if you need large it's dirt cheap to get large screens. Talk to your line manager again and ask. They'll like the idea as you'll be working three times faster without having to scroll.

Do speak to your union and/or HR. As pp have said, your employer has a duty of care towards you. If you are in academia, they will be used to requests to support students, for one thing, so there might even be suitable equipment lying unused somewhere. It's not for you to propose a technical solution, but it is up to you to state the issue you are having, and ask your employer to work with you to implement appropriate solutions with the help of eg RNIB or other outside agencies as required. Good luck, it sounds really frustrating for you.

Please apply for support via access to work. They can advise on technology that might help and how your employer can help you.

Just tell them you have an eyesight problem that means you need the screen adjustment that you have made.

"I'm sorry it's awkward for you, but I have an eyesight problem [say what it is if you like] and this is the adjustment I need in order to do my work."

I don't have any advice but I'm a fellow Kertacibus sufferer, in both eyes. It's a bugger. I manage to get by fairlwell but team meetings and presentations are always difficult for me as I can't really see much. The other week a colleague was showing how so some stuff on he database we use and may as well have slept for an hour as I could see nothing, and I was sat at the front! I always end up having to ask after the training on a one to one basis on my screen and apologise for taking up their time.
Sending empathy

I don’t know if this would be useful but most smart boards now have an app where the screen can be shared directly to an iPad. You could then watch the presentation live at a desktop level on your iPad which might be useful.

@Pinktruffle yy any kind of meeting/training is a nightmare, I hate it, I just have to listen, then I go back to my massive bloody distorted window and scroll up and down and across and try to work out if what I'm looking at is the same as what they've been telling me about, in great detail, it's so stressful. I know I'm missing loads of things.

I wish I was a monk with papyrus, I honestly do.

Would a wider screen help you?

Sorry NRTFT but I'm mum to a VI teen. Ignore if already suggested but Guide Dogs have a great tech advice department as well as RNIB (they are available for everyone with sight loss, not just Guide Dog users). Your employers should be making reasonable adjustments/makung it fully accessible for you, otherwise it is disability discrimination which is a protected characteristic. My DC uses an Ipad Pro to photograph text then enlarge it or set it to be read aloud, would that be possible? We get lots of questions/comments about my DC's white cane/leg splint. If asked questions about one of those we just say "it's for health reasons" if they try and ask details we just shut it down with a "no" (eg "has she hurt her leg?" "No" "Is she blind?" "No") be polite/pleasant and very matter of fact, but practice using a tone of voice that does not invite comments or questions. Do not apologise, do not feel you have to explain. It gets easier and you can practice at home. It's no one else's business - "health reasons" is all they need to know. Good luck OP x

How many different people are there who you will run into this problem with?

I have various disabilities (although not too do with sight).

If it were me I'd reply "I need it this size because i have a disability. I don't enjoy doing it the hard way any more than you do - thanks for your patience." Pre-supposing their support can be useful as it makes it much harder for them to be an ass.

I know it's your right to not discuss it with anybody except your line manager but I have found it's much easier if you're willing to mention the headline to colleagues.

OP this is totally unacceptable and makes me so angry for you (I've had to campaign for years for my DC to have equal access in high school). Work should be providing you with accessible resources before the training/meeting, either printed to the size/format that works for you, or via accessible tech eg Ipad. Please do talk to Guide Dogs/RNIB/Blind In business etc about your rights and your employers responsibilities. There are ways you can approach things that make it hard for them to avoid sorting it without knowingly discriminating again your disability. Email them (so you have a record) that your accessibility needs for your disability are unfortunately not being met, and ask that they implement solutions to make your job, including meetings/training fully accessible.

Gosh wow, I never thought about it in those terms. I think I thought that not being able to see things was a professional failure. It's not though, I'm starting to realise.

First, I would talk to your line manager and IT about getting a large second screen. It won’t be a standard stock item, but it’s may count as a reasonable adjustment. That way when you have the text zoomed in, you don’t have to scroll around as much to see the whole image.

Second, most women spend their 20-30’s constantly apologizing at work and really everywhere in life. Then they hit their 40s and realize it’s time to just be straightforward. I’m guessing you haven’t hit it yet. It’s one of the ways I have started advising my junior mentees. Be polite, but don’t apologize for clearly stating your needs or opinions. Definitely don’t apologize for who you are.

@BurningRubber they need to accomodate your needs - it's shocking that they haven't when they have been told your condition. I don't care and just tell people if I need to do things in certain ways as I can't see without being close up sometimes due to text being so stupidly small.

Needing adjustments is not a failure.

This.
Stop worrying it is 'strange' to them, but what you need to do.
Stop caring about others opinions.

I have serious vision issues. Severely limited vision in one eye and need a very strong lens for the other eye.

I have no problem telling anyone who questions my squinting or close up reading of text about my vision. There is nothing to hide!

I’m in the US so I don’t know about UK laws, but I would think your employer would be required to make accommodations for your vision. I hope your work situation improves soon.

If you had a much larger monitor but kept the screen resolution the same size it would make the images physically larger without needing to zoom in and scroll.

You could even use a TV set as most computers can output to HDMI (or have an adaptor attached so it can). Ask your manager about it as a reasonable adaptation.

Reasonable adjustments are a legal requirement. Ask for an OH assessment. Your employer is obliged to make the recommended adjustments. The key word is 'reasonable'. The employer wouldn't be expected to overhaul their entire system but could well have to find a decent laptop/screen arrangement that works for you.

OP, have you formally requested reasonable accommodations from your employer? You've been dancing around the issue with your colleagues, so is it possible you haven’t made your the request to your employer as clearly and formally as it needs to be made? There should be a process for this.

There’s no prize for suffering in silence. The idea of being embarrassed of a disability is not healthy, either to you or to others who have disabilities and didn’t know they were supposed to be ashamed of them. Unless you work in a tiny place, it’s very unlikely that you are the only person needing some kind of accommodation.

I have keratoconus (I've never actually encountered anyone else with it!) and hate feeling that people are annoyed with me so I completely understand how rubbish this must feel. I'm so sorry. Is there any way to ask the manager to have a discreet word with the repeat offenders so she/he can suggest they stop being knobs be a little more thoughtful in their interactions in future? Honestly though, this is a them problem not a you problem. It's okay to be up front about it if you feel comfortable enough, even if it makes them squirm. You're doing your best in a really challenging situation

I'm sure you've already tried but just in case it helps, gas permeable lenses (after a whopper of an adjustment period and two failed collagen cross linking surgeries) have been life changing for me.

Your employer should be making reasonable adjustments for your eye conditions, you are covered by the Equality Act 2010, so inform your manager.

Screen settings should be adjusted in the machines operating system, but they need to do it as it will improve the conditions you are working in as they are not good right now.

If people continue to moan about your screen settings or text size, tell them you have sight issues.

Would something like this help you be less frustrated by scrolling and see what’s on the screen better?

https://www.completecareshop.co.uk/living-aids/hearing-vision-aids/magnifiers/table-stand-magnifier?sku=Q37044

Or more high tech/ expensive https://amzn.eu/d/eXkikn2

No the law says you need to make reasonable adjustments. Spending thousands of pounds on new kit is likely not reasonable.

You have a disability.

Your colleagues are behaving inappropriately.
Your employer also appears to be behaving inappropriately.

Speak to HR about reasonable adjustments, as PP have said, there are screen magnifiers, overlays, bigger monitors... and it very much is your employers responsibility to sort this for you.

As for the colleagues, dead pan stare and say 'are you this rude/unpleasant/insensitive to everyone with a disability, or is it just me?'