Adjust contrast to compensate for cataract issues

I can change the contrast of my screen for Windows in general but not for some apps, in particular the one I use monthly to create the village magazine. Basically regardless of the contrast setting I use, which helps for Windows, I can't easily see the guide lines in the document I am creating. I don't know if the screen grab helps to illustrate my issue but may as well add it. On the screen you can see a couple of boxes, one containing a page number, and a blank one for text, and also fainter lines which I struggle to see. Until I get my cataracts done I can't do anything about improving my side of it so can only darken these lines.
I have tried various things without success. Changing the screen contrast has made the Publisher tool bars and dropdown menus worse.

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I'm told that my cataracts are right on the borderline of needing cataract surgery. Dark Mode makes all the difference in my screen reading comfort. I'm a Microsoft 365 subscriber, have all the Office apps, and they all now have a Dark Mode option. Dark Mode in Word and Excel is fabulous! It's interesting that about 80% of PC users are now using Dark Mode.

Some apps are hardcoded and will not follow system settings. You might look in the app itself for a setting like "use system settings."
I agree with Gary about dark mode. It does help a lot so would be worth a try to see if it would make things better. But here again, whatever app you are using may refuse to change out of light mode. If you will give us the name of the app you use to create the newsletter maybe someone has ideas,

The two apps in question ae similar in respect of the problem - MS Publisher and Indesign.

have you tried enabling the night light
settings > display > night light

and have night light enabled all the time
that does reduce eye strain with bright backgrounds.

best of luck, Steve ..

TraderGary said:

I'm told that my cataracts are right on the borderline of needing cataract surgery. Dark Mode makes all the difference in my screen reading comfort. I'm a Microsoft 365 subscriber, have all the Office apps, and they all now have a Dark Mode option. Dark Mode in Word and Excel is fabulous! It's interesting that about 80% of PC users are now using Dark Mode.

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Both myself and a good friend had both eyes done "free" on UK NHS (wait time over 2 years) and the difference was phenomenal.

Instead of jamjar thick lenses (-8 dioptres), I only need thin lenses for distance (-1.75 dioptres).

I can read, use pc etc without glasses. Instead of shadowy or vision echoes, all is clear. I can actually see better than when I was seven years old.

The other benefit is your eyesight remains stable with only minor variation over time (eyeball shape may vary slightly as one gets older). I have same glasses I bought after operation 5 years ago.

Another friend bought varifocal lenses (not available on NHS) and does not need glasses. It was not excessively expensive (£2500 approx).

Problem with sorting apps out to help you is that, in time, cataracts will get worse negating any benefits.

I do not know about US costs but my perception is it is cheaper than UK private costs. If you can afford it, I would recommend you get them done.

Of course, there is always a (low) risk something goes wrong, so usual approach is to do worst eye first and do other later if first is ok. If first is not ok, second may not get done, or at least deferred until no option. However this is very rare.

One minor thing is artificial lenses are transparent unlike natural lenses that are yellowish which attenuates brightness and provide some UV protection.

My distance specs (used outdoor) have reactolite lenses and also UV protection. Even if you do not need any visual correction, UV protection sunglasses are advised (can also be reactolite if preferred to save taking on and off as light conditions vary).

I was really glad I had my eyes done as my cataracts were aggressive and I would probably be borderline blind now, which would be a mega issue as I am quite deaf as well (albeit modern hearing aids make a big difference).

I guess I am saying not to be reluctant to have the operation if you can - it makes such a difference.

Of course, you need to understand risks as with any operation.

Thanks for your comments. The waiting lists for hospital appointment for cataracts are ridiculous but there is a company that specialises in treating eye problems, that provides the service to the NHS and the NHS pays. There are other similar treatment routes - my daughter had her knee operation done in a private hospital paid for by NHS. How the economics work I have no idea. The point is that the waiting list is weeks, not years. I had better not start a debate re the pros and cons of going down that route. There are also of course the private facilities where the patient pays. Again I won't start that debate. I am in the fortunate position that I can go down the private route, so I have an assessment next week with the operation a few weeks later. And this clinic does both eyes at the same session.

What the situation is in the USA and elsewhere. Some will I assume have to pay, which brings an unfortunate factor into the decision tree - cost.

IMHO, if there is a list that you need to be on, then you should already be on it. I am 76 and have been wearing glasses since I was 40. I have been doing computer work since the early 70's and always worked with computer screens. I had cataract surgery on both eyes a little over one year ago. The difference is incredible. I now have 20/20 vision and seldom wear glasses. Before the surgery, when I drove my car, all the other cars on the road were just colored blobs. No definition at all. Now, except for sun glasses occasionally, I don't wear any correctional lenses while driving and I can see everything. I carry my glasses with me, because my driver's license still says "correctional lenses required". But they stay in their case. I still need a little correction for close items, like a computer screen. But I just use cheap grocery store glasses for that.

If your curious about the situation in the US, my surgery was completely free, thanks to Medicare. Initial evaluation was done at my optometrist, at my own expense. However, everything after that has been free. And that included several follow up visits. The first appointment was an evaluation by the surgery center. A week later, the right eye was taken care of. One week after that, the other eye. The surgery's only took about one hour each. My appointment was for 6 AM and I was home by 8 AM.

What was odd to me is that, I could choose how good I wanted my vision to be. For a little extra money, I could have opted for better than normal vision. I opted for just 20/20 at no extra charge.

As those guide lines are Red and Blue dotted lines then you can selectively alter those colours in your Graphics Control Panel.
This is for the Intel Graphics Command Centre, others are similar.

All my old Publisher documents are now in Word or OpenOffice Writer.

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We seem to have gone of topic, though relevant to some extent, but I am the OP I am perfectly happy about that. Hopefully so will moderators!
My wife is the worse of the two of us so she is being done first. I am considering getting mine done as I am aware of problems (this post) in respect of computer work and my driving is safe but not as good as it was and I avoid driving at night, especially if wet. Modern LEDs are terrible from the dazzle viewpoint.
I don't know, but isn't Medicare a private insurance which you can opt for if you wish. We have a few private insurances for those who wish to have the option when the NHS isn't up to it? Some employers will pay for it - like mine did after I stopped being an NHS family doctor and moved to Occupational Health. After I retired the insurance company gave me a discount as I was a doctor. Even that got too expensive so I decided to pay the monthly premium into a separate joint "Medical" bank account for my wife and I. That has proved very worthwhile as I still have funds to pay for cataracts surgery for us both and have some left over. I sympathise for those in the UK who are being let down by the NHS.

Thanks for your post Helmut. We crossed!

#Helmut - Where do I find this. I've tried various way without success.

Sigurd said:

I don't know, but isn't Medicare a private insurance which you can opt for if you wish.

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Medicare Part A is available to anyone over the age of 65, for free. I retired at 62, after 35 years with the same company, and carried a private insurance until 65. Note, Medicare is different from Medicaid. There is also Medicare Part B, which a supplemental insurance, to cover some of the things that Part A does not. Like prescriptions. Also, Part A does not cover eye exams, but it does cover eye surgery if required. And, there are some things that Part B does not cover. So there is Medicare Advantage, which goes beyond what Part A and B covers. Like full dental coverage.

About mid October of 2021, my wife had a stroke and wound up in the hospital. She lasted for three weeks in the hospital, before the stoke took her life, on November 3, 2021. While she was in the hospital, every doctor worth their salt, came to see her. I visited her every day for 4 or 5 hours and was always surrounded by doctors. Like myself, she was covered by Medicare and I never saw a bill. But I did receive information on the charges, from the Medicare people. The information was about 150 pages thick and the actual cost was staggering. But every sheet said "This is not a bill".

More information on Medicare, and other health plans in the US, can be readily obtained by a Google search.

Sigurd said:

We seem to have gone of topic, though relevant to some extent, but I am the OP I am perfectly happy about that. Hopefully so will moderators!
My wife is the worse of the two of us so she is being done first. I am considering getting mine done as I am aware of problems (this post) in respect of computer work and my driving is safe but not as good as it was and I avoid driving at night, especially if wet. Modern LEDs are terrible from the dazzle viewpoint.
I don't know, but isn't Medicare a private insurance which you can opt for if you wish. We have a few private insurances for those who wish to have the option when the NHS isn't up to it? Some employers will pay for it - like mine did after I stopped being an NHS family doctor and moved to Occupational Health. After I retired the insurance company gave me a discount as I was a doctor. Even that got too expensive so I decided to pay the monthly premium into a separate joint "Medical" bank account for my wife and I. That has proved very worthwhile as I still have funds to pay for cataracts surgery for us both and have some left over. I sympathise for those in the UK who are being let down by the NHS.

Thanks for your post Helmut. We crossed!

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for 40 odd years i was a professional driver from the military then to civilian life.
you can get anti-glare/anti-scratch coatings on any glasses you wear which work in dark wet weather
especially night driving. if you dont wear glasses you can get reading glasses with lenses 1/1 which can be coated the same as other glasses. a friend had that done just for night driving and they worked.
best of luck, Steve ..

Nvidia Control Panel Equivalent.
Look in your All Apps.
There is no Intel Integrated graphics in that CPU.

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Thanks Helmut. My Graphics card is a Nvidia. I should have remembered that. It's not just my corneas that are getting hazy. Brain cells are not far behind!

K7MEM said:

Medicare Part A is available to anyone over the age of 65,

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Medicare starts at age 65 and I think it's also mandatory. One can get Medicare at a earlier age if for example one is on Social Security Disability or SSI. It's also possible for one to receive Medicaid if they qualify. When I turned 65 the insurance I have through my former employer became my secondary insurance and Medicare became my primary insurance.