Novel Font Provides Satisfactory Reading Experience for Patients With Low Vision

A novel font has been developed to meet the needs of individuals with reading impairment, according to research published in Acta Psychologica. While individuals with low vision report a preference for this sans serif font, individuals without vision impairment are less likely to express a preference for the font, the report shows.

Researchers included 145 participants consisting of individuals with low vision (n=73; 45 men and boys; age range, 6-35 years) and control group participants without vision impairment (n=72; 25 men and boys; age range, 6-34 years) in the investigation. Among individuals with impaired vision, pathology was optic nerve-related in 14.6% of participants, retinal in 46% of patients, and located in the anterior segment in 9.4% of patients. A total of 21.6% of participants had nystagmus and 8.1% of patients had an unknown or undetermined pathology. The team stratified study participants into 1 of 4 groups according to grade level reading ability, which included a beginner (grade 1-3), intermediate (grade 4-6), advanced (grade 7-10) and expert (grade 10 and above) group.

The study participants performed near reading tasks using both paper and computer screens. The research team measured eye tracking as participants read 6-sentence texts, with 1 sentence written in the novel font and the other 5 written in various sans serif fonts. Participants also read a series of 48 false words written in the various fonts, and investigators evaluated reading comprehension by asking questions following the completion of the passages.

Overall, 52% of participants indicated their preference for the novel font compared with the other sans serif fonts. Stratified according to reading level, 30.8% of beginners, 47.4% of intermediate readers, 59.3% of advanced readers, and 69.2% of expert readers reported a preference for the font. Among individuals without low vision, 29.2% of participants reported a preference for the novel font, while a majority indicated a preference for the Verdana font. Individuals who were beginning readers without vision impairment reported a preference for the font (45%).

“Text magnification, acuity reserve and contrast reserve are not always sufficient for improving reading for people with [low vision],” according to the researchers. “It has been shown that certain characteristics of fonts can positively influence reading in people with [low vision].”

Study limitations include a heterogeneous sample of low vision types and a protocol that allowed participants to select sizes for the novel font and other print types.