Reading with rods: the superiority of central vision for rapid reading.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate why the central portion of the visual field is normally the optimal region for pattern recognition.


METHODS
The study uses a reading paradigm in which the text can only be seen with rod vision. Reading rates were measured as the text was positioned in different parts of the visual field.


RESULTS
Observers obtained the highest reading rates when rod-generated images were viewed at or near the fovea.


CONCLUSIONS
The superiority of the central field for reading is neither linked to some exclusive property of the cone visual system, nor is it primarily related to visual sensitivity or spatiotemporal resolution. The superiority of reading in the central field is associated with some aspect of the visual cortical processes.
Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock 79430-0001.
A
A
Chaparro
R S
RS
Young
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology