Eye movement patterns in reading as a function of visual field defects and contrast sensitivity loss.
Saccadic eye movements during reading were examined as a function of the side of visual field cut and the impairment of visual contrast sensitivity Five patients with various visual field defects were compared to five age-matched controls. Patients with right visual field defect showed an increase in the number of rightward saccades and a decrease in their amplitude, and patients with left visual field defects showed a pattern more similar to that of the control subjects. Two patients showed a selective deficit in the range of medium-high spatial frequency; they were the only patients to show a lengthening of mean fixation time during reading. These results indicate selective effects on reading depending on primary sensory defects. The clinical relevance of these findings is briefly discussed.
De Luca
M
M
Department of Psychology, University of Rome La Sapienza IRCCS Clinica S. Lucia, Rome.
Spinelli
D
D
Zoccolotti
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D004411:Dyslexia, Acquired / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D006423:Hemianopsia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D011932:Reading; D012016:Reference Values; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*