title: Health Literacy in Older Adults With and Without Low Vision.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we investigated whether older adults with low vision (LV) from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) demonstrated lower functional health literacy than older adults without LV.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty adults with AMD were matched with adults without LV on age, gender, education, and income. We measured visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and reading speed and administered the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) using two test time conditions, standard and unlimited, to measure health literacy levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The group with LV had considerably lower TOFHLA scores for both time conditions (p < .001) and took notably longer to complete the test (p < .001). Poorer acuity correlated with lower TOFHLA scores in the group with LV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older adults with LV may take longer to read and understand health information, which has important implications for providing health education to support self-management. Modifying components of the reading task may facilitate reading performance and understanding of health education materials.
authors.affiliation: Mary Warren, PhD, OTR/L, SCLV, FAOTA, is Associate Professor and Program Director, Graduate Certificate in Low Vision Rehabilitation, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham; warrenm@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.affiliation: Dawn K. DeCarlo, OD, MS, MSPH, is Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Dawn K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: DeCarlo
authors.affiliation: Laura E. Dreer, PhD, is Associate Professor and Director of Psychological and Neuropsychological Clinical Research Services, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Dreer