Kids, eReaders, and eye issues

[lisamarie]

I called up the company of a curriculum that I am looking into that would require me to do a lot of printing of books off a CD-ROM. I wanted to know if the CD-ROM files could be put on an eReader and if so, which one it would work on.

 

The response I got was that they did not recommend that kids under 16 use eReaders because they don't know the effect it will have on kids' eyes--specifically the optical nerves. As I have never heard of this before, I thought I would ask. Is there really a danger of my kids' eyes getting messed up from using eReaders? Would this also apply to computers in general? :confused: I am trying to decide if there is truth behind that statement or if it's just a bunch of BS.

[Farrar]

I sounds silly to me. Kids have had their eyes on screens for hours and hours for decades and I've never heard it harmed anyone. There was the old "don't sit close to the TV" myth, but that was just a myth - I read about that ages ago.

 

The "e-paper" is pretty new... but it seems much easier on the eyes than a traditional screen.

 

I'm curious if anyone will know anything that backs this up.

[JudoMom]

I called up the company of a curriculum that I am looking into that would require me to do a lot of printing of books off a CD-ROM. I wanted to know if the CD-ROM files could be put on an eReader and if so, which one it would work on.

 

The response I got was that they did not recommend that kids under 16 use eReaders because they don't know the effect it will have on kids' eyes--specifically the optical nerves. As I have never heard of this before, I thought I would ask. Is there really a danger of my kids' eyes getting messed up from using eReaders? Would this also apply to computers in general? :confused: I am trying to decide if there is truth behind that statement or if it's just a bunch of BS.

 

I think it's a bunch of BS, especially if the eReader uses e ink technology. It reads just like a book.

[Leonor]

That is contrary to what my developmental optometrist said.

 

We were just in his office for visual exams. My ds14 completed vision therapy 2 years ago. We went for normal eye check-ups and I took advantage to ask him what did he think of an e-reader for ds. He said any of them would be a great idea.

 

He is a very well known and highly recommended optometrist.

[Amira]

My middle son who is prone to migraines gets headaches if he looks at/reads/watches any type of LCD screen for more than about 90 minutes. But he can read for hours on an eInk device with no problems. In general, however, I imagine that if you're not concerned about your child looking at a tv or computer screen, then you shouldn't worry about her looking at an ereader.

[lisamarie]

My middle son who is prone to migraines gets headaches if he looks at/reads/watches any type of LCD screen for more than about 90 minutes. But he can read for hours on an eInk device with no problems. In general, however, I imagine that if you're not concerned about your child looking at a tv or computer screen, then you shouldn't worry about her looking at an ereader.

 

That's what I thought. They watch TV and use the computer. But then, I could sort of see how staring at an eReader for hours on end while reading a book could be harder on the eyes than watching TV.

[Susan in KY]

I called up the company of a curriculum that I am looking into that would require me to do a lot of printing of books off a CD-ROM. I wanted to know if the CD-ROM files could be put on an eReader and if so, which one it would work on.

 

I just bought an e-reader, hoping to do the same thing with either Robinson or Accelerated Achievement, but I think perhaps Robinson's TIFF files aren't supported by eReaders (or at least, not the Nook). I would prefer his selection, I think, but I don't know because I didn't receive any response to my email asking A-squared about how their selection compares to his in terms of titles.... At least they have PDF, though, which Nook supports. So I am in a bit of a quandry. Which company did you talk to?

 

Susan

[lisamarie]

Robinson. Which is why I questioned the statement based on Robinson's feelings toward the computer and TV in general. The guy said that you can print the files to PDF files and then put it on a Kindle. He said the only one they recommend is the Kindle DX graphite which is of course the most expensive one at $369. That on a smaller screen, the PDF file print turns out really small, so the 9 inch screen was your best bet.

[Amira]

Robinson. Which is why I questioned the statement based on Robinson's feelings toward the computer and TV in general. The guy said that you can print the files to PDF files and then put it on a Kindle. He said the only one they recommend is the Kindle DX graphite which is of course the most expensive one at $369. That on a smaller screen, the PDF file print turns out really small, so the 9 inch screen was your best bet.

 

I can totally see his point regarding screen size. If you're trying to display something that needs a certain formatting, it makes a huge difference to have a larger screen. Some eInk devices like Sony readers can handle reflow on PDF documents pretty well, but Kindle doesn't at all. We have two larger-screen ereaders for school for that reason. But that's an issue of size, not whether you're looking at a screen or not.

[RamonaQ]

We have changed PDFs to Mobi format in Calibre, and have been much happier viewing those on the Kindle.

 

We have an iPad and a Kindle. The kindle screen is about 1/3 smaller than the iPad screen, and ds told me he prefers the smaller screen because he feels less text overload. Interestingly, his tutor told me she feels the exact same thing. So our experiences with screen size have been counter intuitive.

[Guest CrazyMe]

there's also an online tool for converting ebooks

 

http://www.2epub.com