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How normal eyes perform in reading low-contrast texts

  • Clinical Investigation
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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the performance of normal eyes in reading low-contrast texts.

Methods

We selected 14 subjects aged 20 to 31 years (mean, 23 ± 3 years) with corrected visual acuity of 1.0 or better. The subjects were asked to read texts when the contrast between the characters and background was adjusted to 100%, 40%, 20%, and 10%. Using a computer-generated reading chart, reading acuity (RA), critical character size (CCS), and maximum reading speed (MRS) were assessed. The reading performance was compared at various contrast levels.

Results

When the contrast between the characters and background was 100%, 40%, 20%, and 10%, the mean RA (logMAR) was −0.08 ± 0.07, 0.03 ± 0.09, 0.13 ± 0.09, and 0.26 ± 0.11, respectively; the mean CCS (logMAR) was respectively 0.10 ± 0.09, 0.18 ± 0.09, 0.29 ± 0.14, and 0.41 ± 0.10. The mean MRS (characters/min) was 379.2 ± 41.9, 369.7 ± 43.3, 369.2 ± 60.2, and 343.7 ± 67.0, respectively. In all subjects, a decrease in contrast was associated with an increase in RA and CCS, but the MRS was not affected.

Conclusions

In normal eyes, even when reading low-contrast texts, increasing the character size makes it possible to maintain the same MRS as when reading high-contrast texts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Surugadai Nihon University Hospital, 1-8-13 Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-8309, Japan

    Kyoko Fujita, Junko Watanabe & Mitsuko Yuzawa

  2. Department of Communication, Tokyo Women’s Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

    Koichi Oda

Authors
  1. Kyoko Fujita
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  2. Koichi Oda
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  3. Junko Watanabe
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  4. Mitsuko Yuzawa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyoko Fujita.

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Fujita, K., Oda, K., Watanabe, J. et al. How normal eyes perform in reading low-contrast texts. Jpn J Ophthalmol 52, 44–47 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-007-0494-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-007-0494-6

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