The aims of the proposed research are to determine which typeface characteristics may enable faster reading by normally-sighted and low vision readers on video display terminals, and which will allow satisfactory reading speeds with the smallest character size. Two categories of low vision subjects will be tested: 1) a group of AMD patients with central field loss and 2) a group of subjects with congenital nystagmus and no field loss. Five experiments are proposed. First is a replication of the Legge, et al., 1985 study which measures reading speed n normally-sighted observers as a function of character size, letter spacing, blur, and contrast. Second, reading speed will be measured in normally-sighted subjects for three different text display formats sequential word presentation (RSVP), sequential sentence presentation (FLASHCARD), and presentation of multiple lines of text (MNREAD). Reading speed will be defined by exposure duration of a sentence, as opposed to number of words spoken per minute. Horizontal eye movements will be recorded during reading. Third, reading speed will be measured in normally-sighted subjects as a function of letter size (relative to visual acuity), contrast, and blur for RSVP, FLASHCARD, and SCROLL display formats while horizontal eye movements are recorded. This experiment will be performed with the subject fixating the text and, for the RSVP format only, with the text presented to the peripheral retina. Text font will be parameterized to study the effects of serifs, """"""""modulation,"""""""" and stroke width on reading performance. Experiment 4 repeats experiments 2 and 3 on low vision subjects and proposes to test customized """"""""Superfonts."""""""" Experiment 5 will compare self-paced extended page reading to RSVP reading.
| Aquilante, K; Yager, D; Morris, R A et al. (2001) Low-vision patients with age-related maculopathy read RSVP faster when word duration varies according to word length. Optom Vis Sci 78:290-6 |
