title: On the use of hand-held magnifiers during reading.
abstract: Little is known about the actual use of magnifiers (or loupes) during reading. In studying the influence of the use of magnifiers on the reading process the reading field is a relevant factor. Four reading fields are distinguished: three horizontal reading fields and the vertical reading field. We examined the influence of a variation in the widths of these fields on the reading behavior of subjects. This was done by measuring two-dimensional loupe movements while subjects read text under conditions that provided a variety of reading field widths. It was found that individual subjects use different reading-field widths depending on loupe dimensions. Most difficulties in reading with a magnifier, especially finding the beginning of a new line, appear to result from the need to move the loupes horizontally in order to read the complete line of text.
authors: Institute for Perception Research, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors: J J
authors: JJ
authors: Neve
mesh_terms: D005133:Eye Movements; D006801:Humans; D007909:Lenses; D008433:Mathematics; D011932:Reading; D012682:Sensory Aids; D015354:Vision, Low; D015349:Vision, Monocular