Working often
on the computer can have a significantly negative effect, especially on
the peepers! There are a few options available for the �ber-computer
devotee, from filter screens, eye drops and kitschy specialty glasses to
diffuse what seems like only a little bit of harm. Surfing the Internet
can become problematic for those with visual impairments, especially for
those whose attention is constantly beckoned on the Net for research
purposes.
Luckily,
there is
WebEyes, a simple form of adaptive technology that allows Web
readers to breeze through pages faster than you can hit the refresh
button. WebEyes is a simple Web plug-in that adheres to your browser bar
and offers a variety of options for viewing.
WebEyes' Text Enlargement
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One of the
main features of WebEyes is text enlargement. While Internet Explorer
offers a similar option to change font size, you are only given three
choices: small, medium, and large. Perhaps such menial options should be
left for the fast-food consumer. The frequent Web readers want a few
more specific, maybe best-suited personal viewing selections. WebEyes
lets you control the text using a drop down box and offers sizes
all the way up to 144 point.
Tired of
endlessly having to wear down that wheel on your mouse just so you can
finally land at the bottom of a page to find what you are looking for?
WebEyes offers a �read like a book� option that transforms your screen
into a �page turner�, promoting a more comfortable left-to-right reading
format. If graphics are the problem, you can simply eliminate all
pictures in book format and keep your attention focused on the text of
the document. As an added bonus, you can actually modify the font style
in book format to your preference, especially if you�re a big fan of
Webdings!
Who Uses
WebEyes and Where To Get It
The Social
Security Administration purchased WebEyes for external public and
internal employee use. The external is free on all the SSA websites and
can be viewed in action by visiting
http://www.ssa.gov/textsize.htm. The IRS home page (http://www.irs.gov)
is a perfect site to give WebEyes' text size feature a try.
http://www.sec.gov and
http://www.nybooks.com both have
long scrolling documents. Use the "read like a book" feature here and
see for yourself how easy it is. WebEyes works with Internet Explorer
5.5 or higher and is supported by Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, and NT. The
file is small (1.3MB) so no worries on the application taking up space
on your hard drive.
To get a 15 day trial of WebEyes, visit
http://www.webeyes.us and download the free version.
Michelle Pasquerello is the Assistant Online Content Director for
TMCnet.
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