Visual impairments

Presbyopia

A condition where it becomes difficult to see objects up close.

Presbyopia is caused by the hardening of the lens due to aging.

The inflexibility of the lens causes light from nearby objects to go out of focus. The inflexibility of the lens causes light from nearby objects to go out of focus.

See how it looks

Use the slider to see how varying degrees of presbyopia can affect a person's vision.

Presbyopia can be treated with reading glasses, bifocals, trifocals, or progressive lenses.

Normal vision

How it affects UI design

Users may need to view screens at a distance, which can affect contrast discrimination.

Users may need to increase contrast or lightness of an interface for better legibility. Consider personalization settings to give users the ability to adjust contrast to meet their needs.

WCAG 1.4.4 (Resize text) provides guidance on how to support users with resizable text.

Sources:

  1. Mark D. Fairchild (2013). Color Appearance Models. 3rd edition. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Pages 3
  2. Presbyopia. National Institute of Health (National Eye Institute). https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/presbyopia
  3. What is presbyopia?. American Academy of Opthalmology. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-presbyopia