Mostafa Bondok , Mohamed S. Bondok , Rishika Selvakumar , Christian El-Hadad , Edsel Ing
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Abstract
Purpose
Enhancing the accessibility of ophthalmology webpages can help individuals with vision access needs obtain essential appointment information, educational resources, and available ophthalmic services. This study evaluated the accessibility of these webpages for patients with visual impairment and color vision deficiencies.
Design
Retrospective cross-sectional study.
Methods
In February 2024, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) were used to assess the accessibility of the web homepages of the top-ranked ophthalmology institutes in the United States using three evaluation tools: AChecker, ARC Toolkit, and WAVE. The webpages of the 38 top-ranked hospitals for ophthalmology in the 2023 US News & World Report were evaluated.
Results
All assessed ophthalmology hospital and institute webpages had accessibility issues. The issues identified by each tool significantly impeded webpage navigation, with the mean number of issues as follows: AChecker (13.08, SD = 14.51), ARC Toolkit (16.21, SD = 17.68), and WAVE (6.47, SD = 7.14). The mean number of color contrast issues per website was 10.18 (SD = 15.84), present in 87 % (33/38) of the websites assessed. Most issues made information and interface components difficult to perceive (297/497, 59.76 %), and websites difficult to navigate or operate (145/497, 29.18 %). Common issues affecting people who are blind or have low vision and rely on screen readers included the absence of alternative text for images, hyperlinks without destination information, and missing instructions for user data input (e.g., search bars).
Conclusions
Ophthalmology webpages should be revised to comply with WCAG guidelines to improve accessibility for people with vision access needs. Addressing these issues can reduce information inequities for patients with visual disabilities and enhance their understanding of clinical processes, treatment, care plans, and available services such as transportation and online support groups.
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