Accessibility of Drug Information on Ocular Drug Product Websites in the United States

Abstract Purpose The internet is a drug information resource for consumers because of ease of use and convenience; however, accessibility for individuals with visual impairment is often not considered. Previous studies found pharmaceutical websites did not meet accessibility standards. This study builds on previous research by evaluating accessibility of prescription ocular drug product websites using two accessibility checkers. Methods Twenty ocular medications were initially selected and 11 medications were included in the final analysis because a product website was available. AChecker and WAVE tools were used to evaluate accessibility of each drug product homepage then a screen reader was used to verify accessibility of the websites. Descriptive statistics were used to represent the errors and problems identified by the accessibility checkers. Results All websites had varying number of errors and problems based on the WAVE and AChecker tool. Travatan Z® had the highest number of errors of 117 according to WAVE and Durysta™ had the highest of 42 problems based on the AChecker tool. Some of the common issues identified by the screen reader included lack of alternative text for images (e.g., graphs), no description for links, and drop-down menus do not expand using the keyboard functions. Conclusion This study highlights the need for manufacturers to improve accessibility of their product websites. Due to the lack of accessible content on these websites, it is prudent for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to provide education through verbal counseling and providing auditory resources or recordings of drug information as an alternative format.