Reading with low vision: the impact of research on clinical management

The past 40 years has seen a great expansion in low-vision research, which has changed low-vision teaching and our clinical management of people with low vision. Australian optometrists have contributed significantly to this research and the development of multidisciplinary low-vision services. This paper reviews the research that has shaped our clinical assessment and patient management for reading by adults with low vision. The major improvements in clinical assessment of low vision for reading were brought about by the improvements in distance and near visual acuity measurements during the 1970s and research during the 1980s and 1990s showing the factors affecting the reading rate. These changes, together with a different method for representing the magnification provided by optical and electronic systems, allows a scientific, logical and practical method for prescribing magnification. An illustration of the step-by-step approach for prescribing magnification for low-vision reading that is easy to apply in any clinical practice is included.