Effectiveness of assistive devices in improving reading performance in vision rehabilitation patients

To evaluate the effectiveness of assistive devices in improving the reading performance of patients in a vision rehabilitation clinic.

This is a prospective observational cohort study of patients referred to a hospital-based, urban, vision rehabilitation clinic in Southeastern Ontario. Patient demographics, ophthalmic diagnoses, and reading performance were investigated. Median reading speeds in words per minute (wpm) were compared with and without assistive devices, using the Minnesota Reading tool (MNRead). The relationships between improvement in reading speed and MNRead components (i.e., reading acuity, critical print size, and reading accessibility index), visual acuity, age, level of education, and previous exposure to vision rehabilitation were assessed. Subgroup analyses of patients diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma were carried out.

A total of 199 patients were included in this study, with 71.9% over the age of 65. Most self-identified as female (68.8%) and Caucasian (93.0%). The median improvement in reading speed with assistive devices was 39.5 wpm (P < 0.001). Improvement in reading speeds was positively correlated with visual acuity (P = 0.005) and inversely correlated with patients' age (P = 0.029). Patients with glaucoma experienced a more substantial increase in reading speed (66.2 wpm) with assistive devices compared to AMD (38.0 wpm). Handheld magnifiers were significantly more effective in AMD patients, as compared to glaucoma.

This study provides an overview of a group of patients accessing vision rehabilitation interventions. We use the MNRead-based reading speed assessment to demonstrate the varying effectiveness of assistive devices across different patient groups.