Horizontal and vertical reading: a comparative investigation of eye movements

Electronystagmographic (ENG) recordings of eye movements were made during the horizontal and vertical reading of a standardized text. The text was rotated to one side through an angle of 90 degrees for vertical reading. A total of 35 normal subjects was investigated under identical conditions. The following differences were found: A "staircase" pattern of successive, remarkably regular eye jerks was observed during horizontal reading. The reading speed was significantly higher in the horizontal direction. Vertical eye movements during vertical reading were less regular and showed a greater number of small jerks of varying size. No significant difference in reading speed between the two vertical directions was found. The search coil method (Robinson), which was employed in one subject, yielded much more accurate recordings than did the ENG. As a control experiment for vertical reading, the letters were rotated through 90 degrees. Reading this transposed text took twice as long as reading a 90 degrees-rotated text.