Reading speed of 72 partially sighted adults was examined under conditions of simulated and real visual impairment. Visually impaired Ss with normal visual fields and defective central or peripheral fields performed similarly to normally sighted Ss participating in simulated visual impairment. It is concluded that reading speed depends on acuity.…

The article orients the reader to numerous aspects of low vision aids, including types of aids, function of aids, training sequence and considerations, a non-technical description of visual acuity, and favorable prognostic factors in using low vision aids. A brief annotated resource list is included. (Author)

This article reports on a study of the methods that 21 ophthalmologists used to assess the visual acuity of children with multiple impairments and the difficulties they encountered. Additional means of assessing visual function and alternative means of communicating the results are suggested. (Author/DB)

Retinitis pigmentosa is a rod-cone dystrophy, commonly genetic in nature. Approximately 60-80% of those with retinitis pigmentosa inherit it by an autosomal recessive transmission (Brilliant, 1999). There have been some reported cases with no known family history. The symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa are decreased acuity, photophobia, night…

A study involving two college students with visual impairments which made them incapable of accommodating visually revealed that Ss improved recognition efficiency with feedback but did not generalize the efficiency from trained to untrained stimuli of similar complexity. (CL)

The study assessed variations in the indoor and outdoor locomotor mobility of 22 low-vision adults, under normal and reduced illumination. Subjects' visual fields and contrast sensitivities accounted for 39 percent of the variation in mobility performance, whereas their visual acuities were not related to mobility performance. (Author/JDD)

Discussed is the nature of a central scotoma, or decreased central vision, and described are current techniques for training an individual to use the peripheral retina. (Author/IM)

Techniques used by the Special Visual Assessment Clinic for the Handicapped at the University of California-Berkeley School of Optometry are designed to serve handicapped children and adults generally considered "difficult to assess." This article describes the clinic's assessment goals, clientele, and methods for assessing visual ability and…

This study of the effects of lenses of different colors on the visual abilities and comfort of 20 patients with retinal disease found that, in home trials, the critical issue was density more than color. Office tests of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity with colored lenses did not predict subjective benefit. (Author/JDD)

One hundred and six visually handicapped children, who had attended an intensive preschool program stressing cognitive development, were compared with 182 Ss, who had received other less intensive services. (BD)

Vision assessments were provided to 297 preschoolers in nine Head Start programs in New York State. The protocol used provided a thorough evaluation and required only seven minutes per child. Sixty-three children (21.2%) were referred for further evaluation. Visual deficits detected included decreased acuity, strabismus, astigmatism, and…

As follow up to a study which compared forced-choice preferential looking (FPL) with pattern visual evoked potential (VEP), this study increased the VEP success rate and improved agreement between the FPL and VEP acuity estimates by using horizontal bar stimuli for young preverbal children (n=17) with nystagmus. (Author/DB)

Although several vision screening techniques are available for infants, none is routinely used. Visual deficits are often first detected through required preschool vision screenings, which vary in their comprehensiveness. No standardization for testing or administration exists. Some of the testing procedures used may have inappropriately high…

This study found that, of 18 children with severe visual and multiple impairments assessed using the Acuity Card Procedure (originally developed for assessing the visual acuity of infants), 42 percent responded. A similar group received a simple instructional intervention prior to testing and that group's response rate was 85 percent. (Author/DB)

Strabismus and amblyopia are two common childhood vision conditions requiring early identification and treatment. Screening devices include external examination of the eye, ability to track, a cover test, acuity tests, and stereoscopic tests. Treatment includes patching therapy, use of glasses, orthoptics, CAM vision stimulator, or a combination…