Binocular Reading Speed with Increased Vertical and Horizontal Word Spacing in Normal and Low Vision

PURPOSE:The aim of the study was to evaluate reading speed with increased vertical and horizontal word spacing in subjects having normal vision and low vision. METHODS:Reading speed was measured in 23 normal and 23 low vision subjects. Data were collected using paragraph reading from laptop screen with Times new Roman font with critical print size. Stopwatch was used to measure the reading speed in word per minute (WPM). Reading speed was again measured by increasing vertical and horizontal word spacing from 1x to 5x. RESULTS: Reading speed increases gradually with increased vertical and horizontal word spacing up to 3x and then decreases gradually in normal subjects while in low vision subjects minimal changes were observed. CONCLUSION:An increase in vertical and horizontal spacing up to certain extent is beneficial in normal vision subjects while in low vision patients minimal changes are observed while reading.