Passages with continuous sentences are commonly used for the assessment of reading performance related to visual function, and rehabilitation in optometric practices. Passages created in native languages are crucial for a reliable interpretation in a real scenario. This study aimed to report the development of SAH Reading Passage Compendium (SAHRPC), as a tool for the assessment of reading performance related to visual function. SAHRPC uses the Malay language as the medium of communication. The development of the SAHRPC encompassed three stages: exploratory, confirmatory and prototyping. In the exploratory stage, 300 sentences were extracted from the standard school textbook (in the Malay language) endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. The accumulated reading materials were processed based on two deciding factors: continuous sentence structure and predetermined total number of words. A total of 56 passages were constructed with equal readability, based on a simple "5 continuous sentences structure of 50 words" combination. In the confirmatory stage, the 56 passages were verified by normal sighted native Malay speakers. The reading duration was measured using a stopwatch, while the errors were recorded using an audiotape. Reading speed was quantified in words per minute (wpm). Three passages were first eliminated based on the outliers present in the boxplot graph. Eleven passages were further eliminated based on the 10 % highest error and 5 % of the two extreme ends of the reading speed range. The remaining 42 passages with good reliability were randomly compiled into 3 sets of 13 passages. Thirteen passages in each set were randomly sorted into 13 print sizes, ranged from 1.2 logMAR to 0.0 logMAR. The interchangeability of the 3 sets was inspected and confirmed. A prototype was developed and packaged as the SAHRPC, to be used as a tool for the assessment of reading performance related to visual function, and rehabilitation purposes.

The objective of this study was to investigate how the text structures affect reading speed in the same participants. Two types of text structures were used. The first text structure (TS1) had a total of 84 words that formed by 14 separate sentences with 6 words in each sentence (3-words per line). The second text structure (TS2) was written as 100-words passage with 10 continuous sentences. The average words in TS2 was 3 to 15 words per sentence. The sentences were constructed in Malay language and words selected from Malay textbook under The Malaysia Ministry of Education (MMOE). Twenty-five participants were asked to read aloud both text structures at random. Time to complete both texts was measured with stopwatch and recorded using audiotape. The error was noted in recording sheet if there were any omission, repeated, added or misread of word. Reading speed was calculated as words per minute (wpm). Mean reading speed in for TS1 was found to be faster than TS2 (t=10.61, p<0.01). In conclusion, text structures might affect reading speed among Malay-native speakers. Therefore, it was importance to consider about the text structure in designing the reading material for evaluation and monitoring the reading and vision rehabilitation. Keywords: reading speed, Malay sentence, text structure

Objective: Reading is an activity that indirectly informs a person’s visual capacity to distinguish letters and words. Reading begins with eye movements, then substantial cognitive processing and synthesis, before becoming voice reading. Therefore, text is a factor that could impact reading quality through its control of eye movements. This study examined the eye movements of young adults and adults with presbyopia using texts of different sizes.Materials and Methods: Twenty-five young adults and twenty-two adults with presbyopia and good vision were included in this study. Six text sizes of a passage were chosen as the reading stimuli. The eye movement of participants in saccades and fixation were captured, tracked, and analyzed using the Dikablis eye tracker glasses.Results: Eye movement of young adults differed significantly (p<0.05) when reading texts of different sizes. The eyes moved more and had a wider saccadic angle as the font size increased. An increase in fixations or stopping of the eyes were observed with larger texts. Adults with presbyopia had significantly different eye movement patterns than young adults (p<0.05), whereby these participants stopped more frequently at longer periods and had a narrower saccadic angle.Conclusion: Eye movements changed when reading texts of varied sizes and the movements differed between younger and older adults. These translate to altered visual searching and attention strategies with varied text readability, indicating that the oculomotor system adapts to the pattern, shape, and size of the presented reading material. This behavior could imply that cognitive processes have been altered to facilitate comprehension.