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Objectives:To compare reading parameters measured with the Turkish version of the Minnesota Low Vision Reading Test (MNREAD-TR) printed acuity chart and the tablet application version of the same test for both normally sighted and low-vision individuals.Materials and Methods:A total of 116 individuals (92 normally sighted and 24 low-vision) were included in the study. All participants were tested with both the print version of the MNREAD-TR chart (method 1) and the tablet application version (method 2). Reading acuity (RA), critical print size (CPS), maximum reading speed (MRS), and reading accessibility index (ACC) were compared statistically.Results:No statistically significant difference was found in RA and CPS between the two methods for the normally sighted individuals (p=0.083 and p=0.075, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in RA and ACC between the two methods for the patients with low vision (p=0.159 and p=0.103, respectively). The mean MRS was 233.1±34.7 words per minute (wpm) with method 1 and 169.3±23.4 wpm with method 2 in the normally sighted group (p

Patients who suffer from sight-threatening eye diseases share a desire to regain a comfortable reading ability. In light of the modern advances achieved in ophthalmic diagnosis and therapy, and because a significant lack of comparability between reading charts still exists, there is an increasing need for a worldwide standard in the form of a norm for diagnostic reading charts. Already, applied advancements such as digital print, which allow a calibration of the print sizes of reading charts in correctly progressing geometric proportions by using the actual height of a lower case "x" in millimeters (x-height), and psychophysically standardizing reading charts and their test items by applying modern statistical methods have significantly contributed to establishing a norm for reading charts. In 2020, a proposal of the British delegation was accepted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) group "Visual Optics and Optical Instruments," and a working group was established. Bearing in mind the efforts of the ISO with regard to an international norm, this review article is intended to (a) give an overview of the historical background and related normative approaches for diagnostic reading tests used in ophthalmology and optometry, (b) explain psychophysical and technical concerns, and (c) discuss the possibilities and limits of concepts that seem relevant to developing a modern standard for reading charts. • Modern reading charts can provide comprehensible and comparable investigations of reading acuity and speed. • Clinical research has established that modern standardized reading charts are superior to historic or conventional reading charts. • Comparability between reading charts can be best achieved by calibrating the print sizes with the x-height of a font. • Statistical standardization of reading charts and test items is indispensable as it provides known reproducibility, reliability and validity. • In light of modern advances in ophthalmic diagnosis and therapy, establishing an international norm for reading charts is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Georgios Labiris,1 Eirini-Kanella Panagiotopoulou,1 Erald Duzha,2 Maria Tzinava,2 Asli Perente,1 Aristeidis Konstantinidis,1 Konstantinos Delibasis2 1Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Dragana, 68131, Alexandroupolis, Greece; 2Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, 35131, GreeceCorrespondence: Georgios LabirisDepartment of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Dragana, 68131, Alexandroupolis, GreeceTel +30 697 745 5027Fax +30 255 103 0405Email labiris@usa.netPurpose: To develop and validate a web-based reading test for normal and low vision patients.Methods: This is a prospective, comparative trial. The web-based Democritus Digital Acuity Reading Test (wDDART) was developed. wDDART introduces a series of advanced characteristics (advanced text calibration, computer-vision-based estimation of patient’s distance, and automatic calculation of patient’s reading times) that facilitate the overall examination procedure. wDDART’s reading parameters [reading acuity (RA), maximum reading speed (MRS), critical print size (CPS) and reading accessibility index (ACC)] were compared to the corresponding ones of its conventional Windows-based reading test (DDART) in a sample of normal and low vision participants. wDDART’s test–retest reliability for all reading parameters was evaluated in a 15-day time-window.Results: One hundred patients (normal vision group-NVG: 70; low vision group-LVG: 30 patients) responded to DDART and wDDART. Non-significant differences between the two reading tests were found for all parameters in NVG and LVG. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between the two tests demonstrated good or excellent correlation for RA, MRS, ACC and moderate correlation for CPS. Test–retest reliability was excellent for RA and ACC, while ICCs were 0.715– 0.895 for MRS and CPS.Conclusion: The wDDART demonstrated sufficient validity and repeatability making it suitable for clinical and research settings.Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04618224.Keywords: presbyopia, reading speed, critical print size, reading acuity, computer vision distance estimation, automatic reading timing, internet, reading

Objectives: To compare reading parameters measured with the Turkish version of the Minnesota Low Vision Reading Test (MNREAD-TR) printed acuity chart and the tablet application version of the same test for both normally sighted and low-vision individuals. Materials and Methods: A total of 116 individuals (92 normally sighted and 24 low-vision) were included in the study. All participants were tested with both the print version of the MNREAD-TR chart (method 1) and the tablet application version (method 2). Reading acuity (RA), critical print size (CPS), maximum reading speed (MRS), and reading accessibility index (ACC) were compared statistically. Results: No statistically significant difference was found in RA and CPS between the two methods for the normally sighted individuals (p=0.083 and p=0.075, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in RA and ACC between the two methods for the patients with low vision (p=0.159 and p=0.103, respectively). The mean MRS was 233.1±34.7 words per minute (wpm) with method 1 and 169.3±23.4 wpm with method 2 in the normally sighted group (p<0.001) and 93.2±50.2 wpm with method 1 and 68.2±34.7 wpm with method 2 in the low-vision group (p<0.001). Conclusion: In our study, it was found that the parameters RA and CPS in the normally sighted individuals and RA and ACC in the low vision individuals provided similar results in both forms of the MNREAD. The tablet application method can be preferred to eliminate evaluators' bias of scoring the printed chart. In addition, applications have other advantages such as being faster and more practical and providing automatic analysis of parameters, especially in low-vision rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring reading ability is a crucial part of assessing patients who complain of reduced vision. Foreign language versions of such charts need to be developed and validated. It is difficult to measure or predict Korean reading ability due to a lack of a representative reading charts in Korean, and previous charts have limited capacity to detect deficits in reading ability among Korean patients with eye diseases. Two printed versions of the reading chart were created. Thirty-four patients with no change in vision in the last three months and no expected change in vision in the next four weeks were included in this study. The results were validated by testing 13 normal-sighted adults (group 1), 14 patients with various macular diseases whose visual acuity was equal or better than 0.5 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (group 2), and seven patients with various macular diseases whose visual acuities were between 1.3 logMAR and 0.5 logMAR (group 3). Inter-chart and intra-subject repeatabilities were assessed for maximum reading speed (MRS) and critical print size (CPS). A total of 38 sentences were tested on 34 adults in three groups. Groups 1 and 2 did not differ significantly in terms of MRS and CPS. The MRS was lower in group 3, for each chart and between visits. The CPS was larger in group 3, for each chart and between visits, with the exception of chart 2 during visit one. With regard to test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation co-efficients (ICCs) for chart 1 and chart 2 were more than 0.900. With regard to inter-chart reliability, the ICCs were more than 0.892, respectively. The reading chart developed in this study was reliable in producing consistent results among a normal Korean population and patients with various macular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background MNREAD is an advanced near-vision acuity chart that has already been translated and validated in Greek language. Considering that no validated Greek digital near-vision test exists, our primary objective was to develop and validate a digital near-vision reading test based on the fundamental properties of the Greek printed MNREAD (MNREAD-GR). Methods This is a prospective, comparative study. A digital near-vision chart was developed (Democritus Digital Acuity Reading Test – DDART) with text size calibration, audio recording for automatic reading timing, as well as automatic calculation of reading acuity (RA), maximum reading speed (MRS), critical print size (CPS) and reading accessibility index (ACC). Normal and low vision subjects participated in the validation process, responding to MNREAD-GR and DDART at the same day, at a 40 cm viewing distance. Differences in all parameters between the charts were compared with t-test and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Within 15 days, all participants responded again to DDART in a different set of sentences to assess its test-retest reliability. Results One hundred patients (normal vision group - NVG: 70 patients; low vision group - LVG: 30 patients) responded to both reading tests. Non-significant differences were detected for all parameters between DDART and MNREAD-GR except for MRS and ACC that were significantly higher in MNREAD-GR in NVG (p

AIM: To investigate the effect of age on reading acuity and reading speed in attaining text information in healthy eyes. METHODS: Reading acuity, critical print size, reading speed and maximum reading speed were measured in groups of 40 children (8 to 12 years old), 40 teenagers (13 to 19 years old), 40 young adults (20 to 39 years old), and 40 adults (40 years old and above) using the Buari-Chen Malay Reading Chart [contextual sentences (CS) set and random words (RW) set] in a cross-sectional study design. RESULTS: Reading acuity was significantly improved by 0.04 logMAR for both CS set and RW set from children to teenagers, then gradually worsened from young adults to adults (CS set: 0.06 logMAR; RW set: 0.08 logMAR). Critical print size for children showed a significant improvement in teenagers (CS set: 0.14 logMAR; RW set: 0.07 logMAR), then deteriorated from young adults to adults by 0.09 logMAR only for CS set. Reading speed significantly increased from children to teenagers, [CS set: 46.20 words per minute (wpm); RW set: 42.06 wpm], then stabilized from teenagers to young adults, and significantly reduced from young adults to adults (CS set: 28.58 wpm; RW set: 24.44 wpm). Increment and decrement in maximum reading speed measurement were revealed from children to teenagers (CS set: 39.38 wpm; RW set: 43.38 wpm) and from young adults to adults (CS set: 22.26 wpm; RW set: 26.31 wpm) respectively. CONCLUSION: The reference of age-related findings in term of acuity and speed of reading should be incorporated in clinical practice to enhance reading assessment among healthy eyes population.

Reading is a primary problem for low vision patients and a common functional endpoint for eye disease. However, there is limited agreement on reading assessment methods for clinical outcomes. Many clinical reading tests lack standardized materials for repeated testing and cannot be self-administered, which limit their use for vision rehabilitation monitoring and remote assessment. We compared three different reading assessment methods to address these limitations. Normally sighted participants (N = 12) completed MNREAD, and two forced-choice reading tests at multiple font sizes in counterbalanced order. In a word identification task, participants indicated whether 5-letter pentagrams, syntactically matched to English, were words or non-words. In a true/false reading task, participants indicated whether four-word sentences presented in RSVP were logically true or false. The reading speed vs. print size data from each experiment were fit by an exponential function with parameters for reading acuity, critical print size and maximum reading speed. In all cases, reading speed increased quickly as an exponential function of text size. Reading speed and critical print size significantly differed across tasks, but not reading acuity. Reading speeds were faster for word/non-word and true/false reading tasks, consistent with the elimination of eye movement load in RSVP but required larger text sizes to achieve those faster reading speeds. These different reading tasks quantify distinct aspects of reading behavior and the preferred assessment method may depend on the goal of intervention. Reading performance is an important clinical endpoint and a key quality of life indicator, however, differences across methods complicate direct comparisons across studies.

People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) report vision-related reading difficulty, although this has not been demonstrated objectively. Accordingly, we assessed reading speed and acuity, including crowded acuity and acuity for isolated words using standardized tests of reading and vision, in 27 ME/CFS patients and matched controls. We found that the ME/CFS group exhibited slower maximum reading speed, and had poorer crowded acuity than controls. Moreover, crowded acuity was significantly associated with maximum reading speed, indicating that patients who were more susceptible to visual crowding read more slowly. These findings suggest vision-related reading difficulty belongs to a class of measureable symptoms for ME/CFS patients.

Purpose: To develop and validate 28 short Italian sentences for the construction of the Italian version of the Radner Reading Chart to simultaneously measure near visual acuity and reading speed. Methods: 41 sentences were constructed in Italian language, following the procedure defined by Radner, to obtain “sentence optotypes” with comparable structure and with the same lexical and grammatical difficulty. Sentences were statistically selected and used in 211 normal, non-presbyopic, native Italian-speaking persons. The most equally matched sentences in terms of reading speed and number of reading errors were selected. To assess the validity of the reading speed results obtained with the 28 selected short sentences, we compared the reading speed and reading errors with the average obtained by reading two long 4th-grade paragraphs (97 and 90 words) under the same conditions. Results: The overall mean reading speed of the tested persons was 189 ± 26 wpm. The 28 sentences more similar in terms of reading times were selected, achieving a coefficient of variation (the relative SD) of 2.2%. The reliability analyses yielded an overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.98. The correlation between the short sentences and the long paragraph was high (r = 0.85, P

People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) report vision-related reading difficulty, although this has not been demonstrated objectively. Accordingly, we assessed reading speed and acuity, including crowded acuity and acuity for isolated words using standardized tests of reading and vision, in 27 ME/CFS patients and matched controls. We found that the ME/CFS group exhibited slower maximum reading speed, and had poorer crowded acuity than controls. Moreover, crowded acuity was significantly associated with maximum reading speed, indicating that patients who were more susceptible to visual crowding read more slowly. These findings suggest vision-related reading difficulty belongs to a class of measureable symptoms for ME/CFS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new generation of logarithmic reading charts has sparked interest in standardized reading performance analyses. Such reading charts have been developed according to the standards of the International Council of Ophthalmology. The print size progression in these calibrated charts is in accordance with the mathematical background of EN ISO 8596. These reading charts are: the Bailey-Lovie Word Reading Chart, the Colenbrander English Continuous Text Near Vision Cards, the Oculus Reading Probe II, the MNREAD Charts, the SKread Charts, and the RADNER Reading Charts. The test items used for these reading charts differ among the charts and are standardized to various extents. The Bailey-Lovie Charts, MNREAD Charts, SKread Charts, and RADNER Charts are also meant to measure reading speed and allow determination of further reading parameters such as reading acuity, reading speed based on reading acuity, critical print size, reading score, and logMAR/logRAD ratio. Such calibrated reading charts have already provided valuable insights into the reading performance of patients in many research studies. They are available in many languages and thus facilitate international communication about near visual performance. In the present review article, the backgrounds of these modern reading charts are presented, and their different levels of test-item standardization are discussed. Clinical research studies are mentioned, and a discussion about the immoderately high number of reading acuity notations is included. Using the logReading Acuity Determination ([logRAD] = reading acuity equivalent of logMAR) measure for research purposes would give reading acuity its own identity as a standardized reading parameter in ophthalmology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To compare the reading time and reading speed measurements obtained with a stopwatch with those of an automated computer program for measuring reading speed and acuity ( rad-rd©; patent: AT 504635B1/10-2006). Methods The rad-rd© was used (in conjunction with a PC and microphone) for the computer-based measurements. In rotation, each of four examiners took a turn reading the 12 sentences from one of the four RADNER Reading Charts to three other examiners, who served as stoppers. The stoppers simultaneously measured the reading time with a stopwatch while a fifth investigator used the rad-rd© to obtain computerized measurements. The stopwatch measurements were then statistically compared with the rad-rd© measurements. Results The mean reading time obtained with the stopwatch measurements was 4.34 ± 0.57 seconds (196.21 ± 21.79 wpm), versus 4.44 ± 0.59 seconds (192.24 ± 22.20 wpm) by computer measurement ( r = 0.84). Of the 144 stopwatch measurements, 97 (67.36%) were shorter, and 47 (32.64%) were equal to ( n = 5) or longer than the computer measurements. The mean difference for the shorter measurements was −0.17 ± 0.1 seconds (3.91% of the mean reading time), and the mean difference for the longer measurements was 0.11 ± 0.1 seconds (2.53% of the mean reading time). Most differences ranged from −0.1 to 0.1 seconds (42.36%). The results did not differ significantly among the four stoppers. Conclusion The rad-rd© is an accurate, automated computer program for measuring reading time. Stopwatch measurements, although subject to inaccuracy from several sources, remain a reliable and simple method for analysis of reading performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spektrum der Augenheilkunde is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose To develop 28 short texts to be used as sentence optotypes in a Danish version of the Radner Reading Chart for the measurement of reading acuity and speed. Method Forty-six short texts of comparable lexical and grammatical difficulty were constructed. The short texts were tested together with two longer reference texts in 100 persons with visual acuity 6/6, of which 50 were university students (age: 24.7 ± 3.1 years, 36% males) and 50 were blue-collar workers (37.2 ± 13.4 years, 54% males). Study parameters were mean reading speed and error rate per participant, and mean reading time, variance and number of errors per short text. Results The students read the short texts faster than the blue-collar workers (184 ± 21.4 words per minute (wpm) versus 163 ± 26.3 wpm, p < 0.0001). There was a high correlation between the reference texts and the short texts [Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.89 (95% CI 0.83-0.92)]. The mean reading time for each of the short texts ranged from 4.4 s to 5.8 s with a mean of 4.96 ± 0.35 s, and the median number of errors was eight. Twenty-eight short texts were selected for sentence optotypes with mean reading times between 4.6 s and 5.2 s, a mean standard deviation of 1.2 s or less and a number of errors of 17 per 100 persons or less. Conclusion Reading time uniformity in the Danish version of the Radner Reading Chart was comparable to that of the original German version. Education had an influence on reading performance that may warrant stratification for this parameter when reading tests are used in clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To develop a computer-based single sentence reading test especially designed for clinical research enabling multiple repeat trials without reusing the same sentences. Methods We initially developed 422 sentences, with an average of 60 characters and 12 words. Presentation controls were improved by employing computer-based testing and the oral reading was recorded by visual inspection of digital audio recordings. Variability in reading speed of normally sighted adults between sentences, between charts, between subjects, between formats, and between display devices was quantified. The impact of display size and pixel resolution on test geometry was assessed, and the impact of reduced retinal image quality and retinal illuminance were compared for reading and standard letter acuities. Eleven visually normal subjects (age: 18-60 years) participated in this study. Results Stopwatch timing of sentences reliably underestimated reading times by about 0.3 s, and exhibited coefficients of repeatability 17 times larger than those estimated from visual inspection of digital recordings. A slight relaxing of the lexical content constraints had no effect on reading speed; neither did sentence format (single vs three lines) or display size or distance. Within subject standard deviations of reading speed for different sentences were small (between 6% and 9% of the mean speed) requiring only small samples sizes to achieve typical statistical reliability and power when comparing conditions within individual subjects. The greater variability associated with stopwatch timing necessitates larger sample sizes. As defocus and light level were varied, reading acuity and standard letter acuity were highly correlated ( r2 = 0.99), and reading acuity was slightly better. Discussion A computer-based IURead reading test provides a useful reading speed and reading acuity tool for clinical research involving multiple conditions and repeat testing of individual subjects. Ready to use IURead files for use with a computer, tablet or cell phone can be downloaded from our lab website (). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Optometry is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose The purpose of our study was to establish a practical and quick test for assessing reading performance and to statistically analyse interchart and test-retest reliability of a new standardized Swedish reading chart system consisting of three charts constructed according to the principles available in the literature. Methods Twenty-four subjects with healthy eyes, mean age 65 ± 10 years, were tested binocularly and the reading performance evaluated as reading acuity, critical print size and maximum reading speed. The test charts all consist of 12 short text sentences with a print size ranging from 0.9 to −0.2 log MAR in approximate steps of 0.1 log MAR. Two testing sessions, in two different groups ( C1 and C2), were under strict control of luminance and lighting environment. Reading performance tests with chart T1, T2 and T3 were used for evaluation of interchart reliability and test data from a second session 1 month or more apart for the test-retest analysis. Results The testing of reading performance in adult observers with short sentences of continuous text was quick and practical. The agreement between the tests obtained with the three different test charts was high both within the same test session and at retest. Conclusion This new Swedish variant of a standardized reading system based on short sentences and logarithmic progression of print size provides reliable measurements of reading performance and preliminary norms in an age group around 65 years. The reading test with three independent reading charts can be useful for clinical studies of reading ability before and after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The aim of this study was to develop MNREAD acuity charts in the Greek language ( MNREAD-GR) and establish their repeatability in a normal-sighted population. Methods One hundred and eighty Greek sentences were constructed based on the design principles of the Minnesota Low Vision Reading Test. The software used to validate them for width was adjusted to the parameters of the non-Latin characters used in the Greek language ( MNTest-GR) and width-validated sentences were then checked for literacy by two language teachers. Pilot testing followed in 20 adults and two groups of 20 children. Subsequently, three versions of the MNREAD-GR chart were printed and validated for repeatability: 20 adults read MNREAD-GR charts 1, 2 and 3 in random order over two sessions. A linear mixed-model analysis was performed for near visual acuity ( VA), maximum reading speed and critical print size to identify the contribution of each source (individual subject, session, chart and residual error) to the total variance. Subject variance determined the intraclass correlation coefficient. Results One hundred of the initial 180 sentences were validated with MNTest-GR and approved for literacy correctness. Of those, 57 sentences were selected after pilot testing, and used in the final printed chart in random distribution among three versions. The intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.72 for VA, 0.87 for maximum reading speed and 0.46 for critical print size. The between-charts within-session within-subject component accounted for a maximum five per cent of the variance. The between-sessions within-subject component had a maximum of one per cent. The coefficient of repeatability was 0.08 logMAR for VA, 46.96 words per minute for maximum reading speed and 0.10 logMAR for critical print size. Conclusion The created MNREAD-GR acuity chart is a standardised clinical test that can be used reliably to measure near acuity, reading speed and critical print size in Greek-speaking literate patients of all ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Being unable to read is a major problem for visually impaired patients. Since distance visual acuity (VA) does not adequately reflect reading ability, it is important to also evaluate near VA. The Radner Reading Charts (RRCs) are available to measure patients' reading performance. The present study tested the inter-chart and test-retest reliability of the RRCs in Dutch low-vision patients (i.e., visual acuity ≥0.3 logMAR) with various eye disorders. Methods: Thirty-eight patients read the three RRCs in random order. Then, about 1 month after the initial measurements, a test-retest procedure was performed in 15 of the 38 patients. Tested variables were reading acuity (logRAD), logRAD score, logRAD/logMAR ratio, maximum reading speed (MRS), and critical print size (CPS). Both MRS and CPS were calculated in two different ways. To determine the variability, a mixed-model analysis was used. Results: For all variables, the largest part of the variance was explained by the individual subject (86-89%) whereas the chart accounted for only 0-0.78% of the variability. Therefore, the inter-chart and test-retest reliability was high, except for the CPS which had a poor to moderate reliability (31-62%) when calculated in the two different ways. Conclusions: The inter-chart and test-retest results showed high reliability in patients with low vision due to various diseases; therefore, the charts are feasible to determine effects in large groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spektrum der Augenheilkunde is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)