Doesnt really matter. Usually people with vision problems go with 800x600 because it makes the screen appear smaller and the icons/windows bigger. However, it also makes the screen appear to be more "blocky". I use the highest by screen supports, which is 1200x960. This just makes the bars appear smaller, so you can fit many more icons on your desktop.
if ure vision is 20/20 u read, c pics, vids, w.e and ure monitor supports 1280*1024 wouldnt it b actually bad to have the res at 800*600?
i have an lcd so if i use any resolution it supports it doesnt matter but if i use a crt would u recommend a higher res than 800*600?
With LCDs I believe you can use whatever you want, but I think on CRTs it will always be bad because of the curvature of the screen.