Abstract
Purpose :
Thie purpose of this study is to evaluate differences in reading performance, between glaucoma patients and control participants without glaucoma.
Methods :
This is a cross-sectional prospective study including 12 Glaucoma and 6 healthy participants. Glaucoma patients were defined based on the presence of repeatable standard automatic perimetry (SAP) defects at time of evaluation in at least one eye. A detailed ophthalmological examination was performed on each subject. All patients had repeatable SAP (at least 2) and all patients went through a reading performance test based on the iPad app of the MNREAD (Minnesota Low Vision Reading Test), translated and validated to Portuguese. Only glaucoma patients with at least visual acuity better than 0.5 logMAR in both eyes were included. Speed-reading was assessed as the main reading performance variable. The difference between reading performance and the best-corrected visual acuity (VA) of the better and worse eye for the two groups were investigated.
Results :
Mean age in glaucoma and control group was 64.33±10.24 and 45.50±5.43 years, respectively (p=0.007). Average VA of the better eye of glaucoma and control subjects was 0.19±0.25 LogMAR and 0.00±0.00 LogMAR, respectively (p = 0.081). Average VA of the worse eye of glaucoma and control subjects was 0.20±0.22 LogMAR and 0.00±0.00 LogMAR, respectively (p = 0.045). Average speed-reading of control and glaucoma subjects was 101.66±38.46 seconds and 123.17±10.07 seconds, respectively at level of 0.8 LogMAR@40.0cm print size (p=0.203). Average speed-reading of control and glaucoma subjects was 102.17±37.71 seconds and 126.83±17.48 seconds, respectively at level of 0.9 LogMAR@40.0cm (p=0.151). Average speed-reading of control and glaucoma subjects was 108.25±34.70 and 131.50±8.43 seconds, respectively at level of 1.0 LogMAR@40.0cm (p=0.124). Average speed-reading of control and glaucoma subjects was 100±34.61 seconds and 121±16.68 seconds, respectively at level of 1.1 LogMAR@40.0cm (p=0.183). Average speed-reading of control and glaucoma subjects was 95.83±32.87 and 123±18.06 seconds, respectively at level of 1.2 LogMAR@40.0cm (p=0.08).
Conclusions :
Although, there is no difference in reading performance comparing glaucoma and control group, there is a tendency of worse speed-reading in glaucoma patients. These results increase evidence that patients with glaucoma have worse ability in reading performance.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.