MedPath

Peripheral Reading

Not Applicable
Conditions
Central Visual Impairment
Interventions
Behavioral: Gaze-contingent text enhancement
Registration Number
NCT03640130
Lead Sponsor
University of Houston
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate reading performance in the visual periphery by simulating central vision loss using a computer-controlled gaze-contingent display with an eye tracker. Participants will read a page of text at a comfortable rate. Several manipulations hypothesized to improve reading will be tested, such as an inverted-text "spotlight" of a single word that follows the participant's gaze.

Detailed Description

Participants will view paragraphs of multiple sentences of text with their central vision blocked computationally with a "simulated scotoma." Participants will be free to move their eyes around the page of text at a comfortable rate. The three outcomes described elsewhere will be evaluated.

In different blocks, text will contain one or more of several dynamic assistive manipulations that are hypothesized to enhance reading: 1) inverting the text at a given position, with instructions for the participant to attend to that location, which simulates a "surrogate fovea" of a patient with central vision loss. 2) horizontally expanding text to alleviate within-word crowding. 3) highlighting the next word with a visible indicator to encourage proper eye movements.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
6
Inclusion Criteria
  • Normal vision
  • English language
Exclusion Criteria
  • Less than 20/20 vision in either eye
  • Abnormalities which affect vision (amblyopia, keratoconus, etc.)
  • Ortho-K lenses

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Single ArmGaze-contingent text enhancementEach participant will participate in several blocks (randomized order), to evaluate performance with and without behavioral gaze-contingent text enhancements.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Reading accuracyFrom enrollment to completion of testing (<2 weeks)

Ability to correctly answer comprehension questions or orally read words

Efficiency of eye movementFrom enrollment to completion of testing (<2 weeks)

Ability to move the eyes systematically from word to word

Reading speedFrom enrollment to completion of testing (<2 weeks)

Average time/word it takes to read a paragraph of text.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Houston, College of Optometry

🇺🇸

Houston, Texas, United States

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