Reliability and reproducibility of the German version of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons reading charts.
OBJECTIVE
To create a validated, standardized, logarithmic European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) reading chart in German and to use this reading chart as a template for comparable reading charts in other languages.


METHODS
Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, and Department of Ophthalmology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.


METHODS
Prospective multicenter validation study.


METHODS
Thirty-nine short standardized German sentences were developed and tested on healthy volunteers and pseudophakic patients. On the first visit, corrected distance visual acuity was assessed in each eye using autorefraction (KR8000) and subjective refraction using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts at 4 m. Reading speed, when reading the new ESCRS reading charts, was tested under photopic conditions (85 to 100 candelas/m(2)) and high contrast (≥95% Michelson contrast).


RESULTS
The study assessed 120 subjects. Sixty subjects were young healthy volunteers and 60 were pseudophakic patients. Reliability of the sentences was tested using Cronbach's α and was found to be high (α = 0.994). Furthermore, reproducibility was high in most cases and the absolute mean difference between the first measurement and second measurement for all sentences was 0.56 seconds ± 0.07 (SD) (range 0.43 to 0.72 seconds).


CONCLUSIONS
The German version of the ESCRS reading charts, a standardized logarithmic and validated reading test, was reliable in healthy volunteers as well as in pseudophakic patients.


BACKGROUND
No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
From the Department of Ophthalmology (Hirnschall, Motaabbed, Findl), Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, a Karl Landsteiner Institute, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, and the Department of Ophthalmology (Dexl, Zandanell, Grabner), Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Findl), London, United Kingdom.
Nino
N
Hirnschall
From the Department of Ophthalmology (Hirnschall, Motaabbed, Findl), Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, a Karl Landsteiner Institute, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, and the Department of Ophthalmology (Dexl, Zandanell, Grabner), Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Findl), London, United Kingdom.
Alois
A
Dexl
From the Department of Ophthalmology (Hirnschall, Motaabbed, Findl), Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, a Karl Landsteiner Institute, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, and the Department of Ophthalmology (Dexl, Zandanell, Grabner), Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Findl), London, United Kingdom.
Stephan
S
Zandanell
From the Department of Ophthalmology (Hirnschall, Motaabbed, Findl), Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, a Karl Landsteiner Institute, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, and the Department of Ophthalmology (Dexl, Zandanell, Grabner), Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Findl), London, United Kingdom.
Jasmin Katrin
JK
Motaabbed
From the Department of Ophthalmology (Hirnschall, Motaabbed, Findl), Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, a Karl Landsteiner Institute, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, and the Department of Ophthalmology (Dexl, Zandanell, Grabner), Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Findl), London, United Kingdom.
Guenther
G
Grabner
From the Department of Ophthalmology (Hirnschall, Motaabbed, Findl), Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, a Karl Landsteiner Institute, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, and the Department of Ophthalmology (Dexl, Zandanell, Grabner), Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Findl), London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: oliver@findl.at.
Oliver
O
Findl
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000458:organization & administration; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011932:Reading; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards; D014787:Vision Tests / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D014825:Vocabulary; D055815:Young Adult