I’ve reviewed websites where users dropped off not because the content was wrong, but because reading it felt like staring into a flashlight. Low-contrast fonts. Tiny text. No spacing. After ten seconds, your eyes start rebelling.
Now imagine that same experience for someone with a visual sensitivity or disability. For them, it’s not just frustrating — it’s a barrier. And under the Americans with Disabilities Act, that’s where legal exposure begins.
What Is Digital Eye Strain — and Why It Matters for Compliance
Eye strain kicks in when visual elements on a screen force users to overwork their focus. Symptoms include headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and fatigue. Most people just blink through it and move on. But some users — especially those with low vision, cognitive disorders, or neurodivergence — may be unable to process your website at all.
That’s where the ADA enters the picture. The law requires websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. If your design contributes to user fatigue or discomfort, it may violate the “perceivable” and “understandable” principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are widely accepted as the ADA’s technical standard.
I’ve worked with businesses that unknowingly triggered ADA demand letters over design choices they thought were harmless. Fonts and colors are not just design decisions — they can become legal ones.
Common Design Mistakes That Trigger ADA Complaints
Here’s what I look for when assessing a website for compliance risk:
- Low-contrast color combinations (e.g., gray text on a white background)
- Small font sizes, especially anything under 14px
- Cluttered layouts with no visual breathing room
- Dense text without clear headings or logical flow
- Visual-only indicators (e.g., color used as the only way to show errors or links)
These issues don’t just lead to digital eye strain — they create access barriers for people who use screen magnifiers, text-to-speech tools, or simply have different visual processing needs.
What ADA Defense Standards Actually Expect
Websites are expected to follow WCAG 2.1 standards. That includes a minimum color contrast ratio of:
- 4.5:1 for regular text
- 3:1 for large text (18pt or 14pt bold)
You’re also expected to structure content in a way that supports clarity:
- Use headings to organize sections logically.
- Break content into digestible paragraphs.
- Choose readable fonts — not stylized or decorative ones.
- Space elements with enough room for focus and attention.
These changes aren’t just good practice — they’re part of what any credible ADA defense law firm will recommend if you want to reduce legal risk.
What Business Owners Often Miss
When I speak with clients, the most common reaction is:
“I didn’t know that was an issue. It looks fine to me.”
That’s the point. ADA compliance isn’t about how it looks to you. It’s about whether a user with disabilities can perceive, process, and interact with your content without discomfort or confusion. If the answer is no — even if it’s just because your font is hard to read — you’re opening the door to a legal claim.
Good design isn’t about flash. It’s about inclusion. And inclusion, at its core, is a compliance obligation.
Not Sure If Your Site Puts You at Risk?
If your website design hasn’t been reviewed through an accessibility lens, that’s a blind spot. We help business owners identify and fix these issues early — before they become evidence in a claim.
Our firm focuses on ADA defense for New York employers, websites, and business owners who want to get this right.
You can learn more about what our ADA defense lawyers do, or if you’re ready to fix potential issues now, contact us here.
