The comparative benefits of text and page modification on the reading rates between sighted and moderate to severe visually impaired eyes

Reading with a magnifier is relatively slow for persons with moderate to severe visual impairment (MSVI). This study sought to investigate the effect of the page and text modifications such as page length reduction and introduction of guidelines in between sentences known to significantly improve the reading rate of persons with normal vision on the reading rate of persons with MSVI who use an optical aid for reading. A quasi-experimental study design was used to determine text and page modifications on the reading rate of sighted persons and moderate to severe visually impaired eyes. Modifications made to the reading materials included reducing the length of sentences on the pages, introducing guidelines in between the sentences, and a combination of both reducing the page length and introducing guidelines between the sentences. The reading rate of participants was calculated based on the time taken to complete the various reading tasks. The tasks were grouped into spot and fluent reading tasks. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). There were 19 visually impaired participants representing 34% of the total population recruited for the study. For spot reading, MSVI group achieved a 10-point significant improvement in their reading rate when alternating-colored guidelines were combined with reduced page length. The modifications did not significantly improve the fluent reading rate of the MSVI group. For both spot and fluent reading, introducing guidelines and reducing sentence length potentially provide a way to improve the reading rate of the visually impaired people who use an optical aid for reading. The practical implications of these results should be investigated in people with MSVI who use different optical aids for reading.