Promoting Health Literacy in Older Adults With Low Vision

Much of health literacy is predicated on being able to read and understand health information and instructions given during the patient-provider encounter. Older adults with low vision face barriers to attaining health literacy because they have difficulty reading and interacting with health providers. Health care professionals can facilitate health literacy by understanding how vision impairment potentially limits health literacy in older adults. The article describes simple strategies both to increase the visibility and readability of printed health information and to improve the quality of the encounter between the health care provider and the patient, using suggestions from persons with vision impairment.