A systematic review of reading tests

Adequate near and intermediate visual capacity is important in performing everyday tasks,especially after the introduction of smartphones and computers in our professional and recreational activities.Primary objective of this study was to review all available reading tests both conventional and digital and explore their integrated characteristics.A systematic review of the recent literature regarding reading charts was performed based on the PubM ed,Google Scholar,and Springer databases between February and March 2021.Data from 11 descriptive and 24 comparative studies were included in the present systematic review.Clinical settings are still dominated by conventional printed reading charts;however,the most prevalent of them(i.e.,Jaeger type charts)are not validated.Reliable reading capacity assessment is done only by those that comply with the International Council of Ophthalmology(ICO)recommendations.Digital reading tests are gaining popularity both in clinical and research settings and are differentiated in standard computer-based applications that require installation either in a computer or a tablet(e.g.,Advanced VISION Test and web-based ones e.g.,Democritus Digital Acuity Reading Test requires no installation).It is evident that validated digital tests will prevail in future clinical or research settings and it is upon ophthalmologists to select the one most compatible with their examination routine.

Near vision examination in presbyopia patients: Do we need good homologated near vision charts?

Presbyopia correction is mainly concerned with the goal of regaining an uncorrected reading performance.Since historic reading charts do not provide a unique standard that is applicable for the analysis of clinical and scientific reading performance,new standardized reading charts have been developed,in order to provide reading performance analyses analogous to modern single-optotype distance acuity measurements:the Bailey-Lovie Word Reading Chart,the Colenbrander English Continuous Text Near Vision Cards,the MNREAD Charts,and the RADNER Reading Charts.The last three are also meant to measure reading speed,thus allowing detailed analysis of the reading capabilities of the patient’s functional vision.Furthermore,these reading charts can be declared homologated,based on the standards that were published for reading charts by the Visual Function Committee of the International Council of Ophthalmology(ICO)in 1988.Many research studies have shown that by analyzing the reading performance with homologated reading charts,valuable insight into the reading performance of patients suffering from various diseases can be obtained.These reading charts have also been successfully used in presbyopia research.It therefore seems evident that homologated,standardized reading charts facilitate not only research concerning functional vision in many fields of ophthalmology but also international communication about near visual performance.Homologated reading charts are available in almost all languages and have become a valuable tool in analyzing reading performance.We argue in this review that homologated reading charts are clearly a necessity for presbyopia research.