READING SKILLS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MACULAR DEGENERATION

Abstract

Macular degeneration (MD) involves a whole range of progressive and degenerative
changes in the macula. Though central vision is affected, peripheral vision
usually remains preserved in MD. Unfortunately, there is a lack of effective medical
treatment for most MD, therefore it is important to focus efforts on the development
of visual compensatory mechanisms.
People with macular degeneration experience difficulties in reading due to
central-field loss. Reading skills is the primary difficulty and at the same time the
primary goal for individuals with macular degeneration seeking vision rehabilitation.
The current prevalent methods for reading skills training are magnification—
large print size and scotoma awareness training. Also, more recent studies showed
that specific oculomotor training, avoiding visual crowding and special fonts are all
beneficial to reading skills rehabilitation. The focus of this article is to review and
discuss the methods and adaptations available today that we can use in rehabilitation
of reading skills in individuals with MD.