Reading speed does not benefit from increased line spacing in AMD patients

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Vision Science
• Human Factors

Background:

• Crowding, caused by adjacent text, can slow reading in peripheral vision.
• Previous research indicated improved reading speed with increased line spacing in normal peripheral vision.
• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects central vision, potentially impacting reading performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if increased line spacing benefits reading speed in individuals with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• To determine if visual crowding affects reading performance in AMD patients.

Main Methods:

• Experiment 1: Eight AMD subjects read passages at varied line spacings (1x to 4x) and print sizes (1x, 2x critical print size).
• Experiment 2: Four AMD subjects performed rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of word sequences with varying vertical separations.
• Reading speed was measured by time to read passages or by RSVP exposure duration for 80% accuracy.

Main Results:

• Reading speed for passages remained consistent across all tested line spacings in AMD subjects.
• Reading speed for RSVP word sequences was largely unaffected by vertical word separation, except at the smallest separation where it was slower.
• No significant improvement in reading speed was observed with increased line spacing or vertical separation.

Conclusions:

• Increased line spacing does not enhance reading speed for individuals with age-related macular degeneration.
• Unlike findings in normal peripheral vision, visual crowding effects on reading speed in AMD may not be mitigated by increased spacing.
• These results suggest that interventions to reduce crowding through line spacing are ineffective for reading in AMD.