UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi Everyone

I was talking to a patient one day who was just going through Cross Linking. Although I could give her some idea of what to expect, she was really frustrated saying that she wished she could speak to someone who had gone through it as well. I have also seen a lot of these sort of requests on these boards and I have felt for some time that there is a need for an information site with associated forum so that CXL can be dealt with in more detail from a patient perspective.

I have now created a site and message board (just put up today) for this purpose but although I have created it, I really want input from you yourselves. At least I can see what I am doing to create it but the idea is that anyone who wants to can contribute. So, any links to info about CXL, latest research, information as to where it is being done (both in the UK and abroad) etc etc. As many who have CXL also have intacs it can be about them too.

The message board is the same format as this one and I have asked on the phpbb boards for help in designing a style that is easy to see. It is hoped that between this board and the CXL Club one we will get a couple of styles that are much better for those with poor vision to actually see.

The links are:

Site: http://www.cxlclub.lwvc.co.uk
phpbb thread: http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=1371095
Test board: http://hi.daffie.me.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2&p=7#p7

If you want to contribute anything like your personal story or any useful links or articles, please email me at my email address in my signature.

Lynn

Lynn

I think this is a really good idea. All the best.

Andrew

Hi Andrew!

Thanks for that! I'm hoping to get round to putting up some CXL info soon.

Just as a reminder...we do need people to go and criticise the visibility of the new board so James can change it to see if it helps - I can suggest but ultimately it needs someone who with visual difficulties to say how readable it is!

Lynn

Lynn

As you know, I use a Mac, so my Operating System is Safari and not IE.

The text appears as black on white, but some of it looks like it might be red. Like many other men, I am Red-Green blind, and I find the red text and the red logo a bit difficult to see.

Actually, i can change this myself, using my Operating System, but any such change would make pictures that people might post very hard to see.

Sorry if I have created a problem for you; I really do think the CXL specific subject matter will be a great help, and I can understand why you would want people thinking about CXL not to be exposed to my professional ethical skepticism.

Andrew

Hahahahaaaaaa

Not at all Andrew!! Your scepticism is most healthy - especially when people are making their decisions. The club really is for people to get down to the nitty gritty so to speak when they are having it done and, for example, how long to expect not to be able to see well after having it done The epi on/ off argument etc etc.

What I meant about the visibility is not the website - and thanks for the info on the red logo - a rethink coming on here - its the special message board style

http://hi.daffie.me.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2&p=7#p7

which is currently all in yellow and black with a bit of blue thrown in. You red/green colour blindness input would be most appreciated here!

Lynn

In the sidebar, your name appears pale blue on a custard - yellow background. I have no difficulty seeing that, although I daresay the very small number of blue-yellow people would prefer a greater contrast of tone.

The administrator seems to be described in red or green; a greater contrast of tone would make that stand out more for me.

All the best with this.

Andrew

Lynn,

Hey there! Yes I did pop in and look at your site! Very nice and it is good to have a place for people to go to discuss C3R.

Sorry though, but I had real trouble reading the forum with a yellow background. It was really bright and the black letters were not contrasting enough. I found the buttons difficult as well because of the white rim on them. At the minute I am wearing lenses but I can see here without them and know that I would have the same problems. I cannot see yellow very well and wasn't able to read it in work on a white background so am not sure about it. Maybe the suggestions about it being a pale yellow would work, but I do find it a problem.

Hoping you get some more feedback soon!

Talk soon, love Claire X x X

Thanks Claire!

The yellow background was a suggestion from someone who found black on yellow was the best for her when the RNIB did some tests for her. She found these colours difficult.

OK I'll have a rethink and come up with some more suggestions....

Lynn

Eek! Sorry, Lynn, but is that yellow really paler than before? Conventional wisdom is that because the retina has fewer cones that are sensitive to blue light than to red or green, then blue backgrounds seem less intense and will distract the reader's attention far less than other colours. I'd certainly attempt to change the yellow(!) although some people may well find it nice as a brighter background... but I'd make it an optional colour scheme, rather than the default!

Another neat trick that Windows doesn't help with (but the graphics card driver may do... I'm sure that Macs will do this easily) is to visualise the page you're looking at with the TV's colour knob turned right down so you are looking at a B&W picture. You can also do this by looking at the RGB hex colour codes: #rrggbb. Similar intensities of different colours would look very similar in monochrome, and hence will affect certain colour-blind people. So steer clear of red text (#FF0000) on a green backround (#00FF00). Think FF+00+00 - 00+FF+00 = 0 (you can do this sum in Windows calculator after pressing "Hex"). The idea is to make the resulting sum as far from 0 as possible to make the highest contrast.

Mail me if this sounds confusing All the best.

Sorry to butt in here...... I'm using Lynx on old green-screen equipment so don't see any of the colour schemes you do.
"Standard wisdom" of recommended good practice is to put things like colours and point sizes and type faces into a style sheet, so that people with particular needs or preferences can set up their own style sheets in their browsers and use their own preferences instead of yours.
TO make this work, you have to ensure that your page will adapt to whatever style sheet is applied to it, and not hard-wire its own coloru scheme - or, worse, hardwire part but not all so the poor user ends up with bard-wired black text on an elective black background, for example.
If anyone is interested in how to make websites accessile to as many people as possible, you may e interested to know that there is a draft of a new British standard document on the subject.
Anyone who regularly has problems with inaccessible or hard to use websites might also be interesting in this.
It is on the web for comments in a consultation phase.
Find it at www.bsigroup.com/drafts and look for a document coded DPC BS 8878 (you can read other people's comments too).
A lot of it considers accessibility for blind/partially-sighted people using screen magnifiers/colout changers, or speech synthesiser, or Braille, or any combination. It also covers accessibility for people who are deaf, colour blind, dyslexic (who may be using speech synthesisers too, or special colour schemes), or who have problems using a standard keyboard or mouse.
International standard technical details on programming for accessibility are produced by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the world Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - googling those will produce a plethora of goodies, much of it more detailed technicalities that the BSI draft.
Happy reading......
Rosemary