Visual acuity problems also create complications involving accessible web design, because people with these kind of impairments are usually too nearsighted or too farsighted to see the text on a website. Problems with a person's visual acuity include conditions such as Hyperopia and Myopia. Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, affects roughly 60 million people in the U.S. alone, and Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, affects about 75 million people in the U.S.

As far as web accessibility is concerned, most problems related to Hyperopia and Myopia can be fixed by changing the size of the font on the computer. Also, ensuring high color contrast between the background, foreground, and font colors will aid the visibility of the text on the screen. There are more tips below such as good web design practices, good elements of coding, and tools available to those with visual acuity problems to view the web.

Consider Contrast – Contrast is a measure of how well colors can be distinguished from others. When making a website, contrasting colors should always be used, but especially for the visually impaired. As far as visual acuity problems are concerned, color contrast can help them decipher words on the web page.

Use Less Graphics – In general, using less graphics causes less load time, but also, it creates less content for people with visual acuity problems to have to struggle to decipher because of their disability.

Ensure Flexibility – When making a site accessible to those with visual acuity problems, flexibility in the design should always be practiced. Flexibility means that the font size should be able to be changed in the browser without affecting the design of the website.

Watch Page Length – For any website, pages should not be too long. People get bored too easily, but especially for the visually impaired, pages should be made as short and concise as possible. If there are long pages, punctuate them with headings. This way, the various sections are identified easily.

Text Size – You always need to make sure that you don't put font into absolute size such as pixels or points. The best practice is to use relative sizes such as em, ex, or percentages. This allows the browser to be utilized for the resizing of the text as specified by the user, usually that is small, medium, or large.

 

HTML Validation – You should always validate your code. This will stop screen readers and other alternate browsers from misinterpreting the source code. A Doctype identifies how you validate your code. Always make sure you have the right Doctype for the html page you are designing.

 

 

Alt & Title Tags – Using alt and title tags for images and other elements are very helpful for the visually impaired since screen readers use the descriptive text to tell them what they cannot see. Also, be sure to use fairly long descriptions for complex images.

 

 

Color Links Correctly –Many people forget the background and font colors included for links when they have not been used, are hovered over, or have been used. Always pay attention to these colors, and again, check the contrast.

 

 

Add Links for Pictures – Many software programs used by the visually impaired do not read image maps, so it is important to make text links available in your content also.