Friday, December 30, 2011 Ford Designs Vehicles for the Visually Impaired
 Ford has joined forces with Cambridge University in England to gain a better understanding of visual impairment issues that come with an aging society and to use digital tools to better design vehicles for those with vision problems.
The World Health Organisation reports that 285 million people worldwide suffer from some form of visual impairment. Of these, about 65 per cent are aged 50 and over. And with a rapidly ageing population, the number of visually impaired is expected to grow.
With age, the ability to see fine details deteriorates, as does the ability to see in the dark. This means many drivers can struggle to read the instrument cluster while driving, unless they have bifocal or varifocal glasses. Other eye conditions, such as glaucoma, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are also prevalent among those 50 and older.
Ford is using software to study and optimise the design of its instrument displays, to ensure they can be safely and comfortably read by as many drivers as possible.
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