Hello Williamg,
We're sorry for the trouble you had with Adobe Reader, what is the dot version of Adobe Reader installed? To identify the version, take help from the article Identify the product and its version for Acrobat and Reader DC
Make sure that you have the latest version of Adobe Reader 19.008.20074 installed, check for the update from help>check for updates, reboot the machine and check.
You may also try changing the Display theme of Adobe Reader from View>Display Theme>and can choose 'Light Gray' and 'Dark Gray' and see if this brings any difference.
Is it possible to post a screenshot of the window where the tools are displayed and are invisible? To post a screenshot, refer to https://forums.adobe.com/docs/DOC-7043#jive_content_id_How_do_I_attach_a_screenshot
Which operating system/version are you on? We’re here to help, just need more info.
Thanks,
Anand Sri.