Typeface Legibility and Low-vision Readers

Different low-vision diagnoses will result in different kinds of vision deficits. Visual impairment may present as, blind spots in the visual field, reduced ability to perceive contrast between foreground and background, cloudy vision, or blurry vision. Thus, depending on the nature of the vision loss, there is great variability in the impact on reading. For example, a reader who lacks central vision will depend on larger font sizes to read, whereas large font sizes would not be ideal for a reader with tunnel vision, who may instead require measures or techniques to avoid getting lost on the page.

This presentation will discuss the negative effects on reading of the most common visual deficits and show scientific findings on how to improve typeface legibility for specific groups of low-vision readers.