Do older adults prefer white-on-black or black-on-white?

Black text on a white background is universally more readable, and so is the best choice for an "older audience". The older the audience, the more appropriate larger text size and black text on white background.

1. Which colors do the elderly prefer?
2. What colors are hard for older adults to see?
3. Is reading white on black better for the eyes?
4. Is a black background with white text good?

Which colors do the elderly prefer?

Navy blue, sky blue, and aquamarine are particular favorites of seniors. Blue is a restful color with a calming effect. Blues can also instill trust and confidence. Soft blues connect to the spiritual or reflective mood.

What colors are hard for older adults to see?

Aging eyes lose the ability to discriminate pale colors, making yellows and other pastels appear white. They are also unable to differentiate shades of blue, green, and purple as these cooler colors can read gray.

Is reading white on black better for the eyes?

Forcing users to fixate on the white text for a long time can strain the user's eyes. This is because white stimulates all three types of color sensitive visual receptors in the human eye in nearly equal amounts [source]. This makes reading white paragraph text on dark backgrounds stressful on the eyes.

Is a black background with white text good?

white text on black backgrounds creates a visual fuzzing effect called “halation” halation is known to reduce readability of text and is particularly bad for people with astygmatism.