Previous studies have shown that performance at a defined level of music sight reading for pianists (6th Grade) is predictive of eye movement patterns (Waters, 1998) and that such patterns resemble those of text reading experts (Furneaux & Land, 1999; Sloboda, 1974; Truitt, 1997; Wolf, 1976). However, little is known about how expertise might affect eye movement patterns when the score has been visually disrupted using notational features that are unexpected or outside conventional presentation.The current project examined the effect of altering features of the music score on eye movement patterns of expert and non-expert music sight readers. Participants sight read specifically composed musical excerpts, which were then re-presented with the bar-lines removed, altered inter-note spacing and unpredictable beaming directions. Fixation and saccade characteristics were measured and compared between the two performances. It was expected that expert music sight readers would be most affected when the score was disrupted as they would be less capable of grouping notes into familiar, single units for efficient visual processing. Expert sight readers performed significantly faster than non-experts in both conditions: p<0.0001. Saccadic latency increased significantly for experts in the disrupted condition: p=0.0259, while non-experts increased slightly, not reaching significance. This suggests that the disruption of visual expectation was sufficient to cause a lengthening of saccade programming in the experts - an indication of interference with the chunking process. The resultant EM patterns for the non-experts demonstrated heightened non-expert behaviours: increased fixations of shorter duration.

PurposeIncorporating mass pediatric vision screening programs as part of a national agenda can be challenging. This review assessed the implementation strategy of the existing pediatric vision screening program.MethodsA search was performed on PubMed, EBSCO host MEDLINE Complete, and Scopus databases encompassing the past ten years for mass pediatric screening practice patterns that met the selection criteria regarding their objectives and implementation. Results were analyzed from 18 countries across five continents.ResultsEight countries (44%) offered screening for distance visual acuity only, where the majority of the countries (88%) used either Snellen or Tumbling E chart. High-income countries initiated screening earlier and applied a more comprehensive approach, targeting conditions other than reduced vision only, compared with middle-income countries. Chart-based testing was most commonly performed, with only three countries incorporating an instrument-based approach. Lack of eyecare and healthcare practitioners frequently necessitated the involvement of non-eyecare personnel (94%) as a vision screener including parent, trained staff, and nurse.ConclusionsImplementation of a vision screening program was diverse within countries preceded by limited resources issues. Lack of professional eyecare practitioners implied the need to engage a lay screener. The limitation of existing tests to detect a broader range of visual problems at affordable cost advocated the urgent need for the development of an inexpensive and comprehensive screening tool.

The Tonoref III and RS-3000 showed good repeatability when compared to ultrasound pachymetry. However, neither instrument agreed interchangeably with CCT measurements by ultrasound pachymetry. Practitioners should determine whether the level of agreement is sufficient to meet their clinical needs.

Visual processing expertise in musicians has traditionally focused on the difference between expert and non-expert music sight-readers. More generally, differences between musicians and non-musicians have been explored, often with a view to promoting the possible benefits of music training. However, as the definition of music sight-reading expertise varies widely and there is largely no accounting for visual processing expertise in other domains that may be present in non-musicians, interpretation of the results becomes challenging and conclusions may be misleading. Of greater value to the investigation of the visual processing benefits of formal music education would be the ability to definitively isolate those with visual processing expertise in the music sight-reading domain from those without. Only then would it be possible for meaningful comparisons to be made between both the expert and the non-expert music sight-readers and each of these groups, in turn, with non-musicians. The aim of the present study was to explore visual processing by measuring the Working Memory Capacity (WMC) and Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) capabilities of piano music sight-readers. Participants were grouped as expert or non-expert music sight-readers and the results compared with the WMC and RAN results of non-musicians.

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