Medicine labels difficult to read for the visually impaired

Patients with visual impairment often find it difficult to read the size of type used on the labels on their medications, a study found. Physicians should take care to explain dosing instructions to this patient subset, the study authors suggested. The authors also suggested use of larger type sizes on labels for patients with visual impairment.

To study this phenomenon, S.R. Drummond and colleagues at the Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, split 180 patients into subgroups based on the best line of Snellen acuity they could read. The patients’ visual acuity ranged from 6/9 to 6/60. Mean age was 70 years, with a range of 23 to 100 years.

Patients with a best corrected visual acuity of worse than 6/24 showed a significantly diminished ability to read instructions on eye drop medications. Comfortable type sizes were 16 for those in the 6/24 group, 18 for those with VA of 6/36 and 22 for those with VA of 6/60.

“We need to include enlarged print instructions for patients with a VA of 6/24 or less to enable them to self-medicate safely and effectively,” the authors said in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. They noted that elderly patients who are hard of hearing and may have memory problems are particularly susceptible to problems with small type sizes.