By CLICK Staff
In February,
The Vision Council announced the launch of a standalone website,
WhatIsLowVision.org, dedicated to educating consumers about low vision and low vision solutions. The site is designed to serve as an online resource for people with vision impairment due to macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and other eye conditions often associated with aging. The initiative aims to answer questions that those with low vision, in addition to their loved ones and caregivers, may have by addressing its causes and warning signs, as well as vision enhancing devices and medical solutions.
“When we began this project, our goal was to develop a centralized resource for all things low vision. We knew the site design would have to meet the needs of patients and caregivers, who were seeking answers to their questions about maintaining or supporting independence,” said Maureen Beddis, vice president of marketing and communications for The Vision Council. “During the past year we have been collaborating with key groups in the vision and caregiving communities toward the common goal of raising awareness for low vision and increasing knowledge of low vision solutions for improving quality of life. In addition to helping people afflicted with low vision, we also hope this site serves as a credible voice for caregivers.”
The site design is fully functional for low vision users. It offers an easy-to-navigate layout and incorporates several specialty functions, including font size and contrast buttons, a doctor locator (“find a low vision specialist”), and a blog feed. The font was specifically developed with low vision readers in mind and colors were selected on their ability to provide the best contrast and legibility for users. Visitors have the ability to zoom in/out or change the level of contrast without the text or images being altered. Based on a review of keyword searches and low vision terms, The Vision Council has purchased additional “what is” urls, which will redirect individuals searching for similar questions to the main low vision site. The Vision Council’s consumer outreach efforts will be focused on promoting the website to key aging publications and reporters. Social media activities will target blogs, nursing facility review sites, eyecare message boards and current eye campaigns, which drive traffic to
whatislowvision.org.
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