Evaluation of pre- and post-surgery reading ability in patients with epiretinal membrane: a prospective observational study

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the pre-and post-surgery reading ability in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) to evaluate whether measurement of reading performance is a helpful test in addition to visual acuity (VA) as an assessment measure. Methods: This prospective observational study involved 42 eyes of 40 patients with idiopathic ERM. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), reading ability, and metamorphopsia score were evaluated at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-surgery. As the outcome measure, the reading ability of each patient (i.e., overall performance) was examined with MNREAD-J, the Japanese version of the MNREAD reading acuity (RA) charts, to determine RA, critical print size (CPS), and maximum reading speed (MRS). Generally, a difference of 0.2 logMAR or more is considered a significant change in BCVA. Thus, as a subgroup analysis, we additionally evaluated the BCVA and reading ability of the patients with a BCVA difference of 0.1 logMAR or less between at baseline and at 12 months post-surgery. Results: Relative to their values at baseline, the subjects exhibited significantly improved BCVA, RA, and CPS throughout the post-surgery examination period (P < 0.001) and significantly improved MRS at 12 months postsurgery (P = 0.04). No significant change in the vertical metamorphopsia score was observed throughout the postsurgery follow-up period. However, and compared to the value at baseline, significant improvements in the horizontal metamorphopsia score were observed at 3, 6 (P < 0.05), and 12 months (P < 0.001) post-surgery. In the subgroup analysis of the 23 eyes that exhibited a BCVA improvement of 0.1 logMAR or less, the median BCVA did not change, but the median RA and CPS improved by 0.2 logMAR. Conclusions: Our findings showed that the surgical removal of ERM improves reading ability, even when the BCVA score does not improve. The measurement of reading performance appears to be a helpful test in addition to VA as a measure for assessing the surgical removal of ERM.

Switching to Brolucizumab in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Incompletely Responsive to Ranibizumab or Aflibercept: Real-Life 6 Month Outcomes

“…Furthermore, microperimetry revealed correlations of reading speed with fixation stability, foveal absolute scotoma, reading acuity, and sociodemographic characteristics [ 23 ]. Similar findings are known from postoperative outcomes after the peeling of epiretinal membranes, where an increase in reading visual acuity and critical print-size was shown in patients despite unchanged BCVA [ 24 ]. Taken together, visual acuity measured with single optotypes seems unable to represent pathological changes in AMD or relevant parameters for the quality of life of affected patients.…”

Retinal Tectonics after Macular Pucker Surgery: Thickness Changes and En-Face Displacement Recovery

“…Mieno and Coll 26 found similar results and even Amsler in 1953 reported 27 a greater deformation for horizontal lines than vertical; it is worth mentioning that vertical deformation affects horizontal line perception and vice versa. Allegrini and Coll 28 measured the displacement of retinal vascular junctions after ERM peeling and found a significant correlation with BCVA changes.…”

“…This finding may suggest that, apart from thinning, cellular bending also occurring at the level of the z-axis (perpendicular to our en face displacement measures) may play a decisive functional role. Mieno and Coll 26 found similar results and even Amsler in 1953 reported 27 a greater deformation for horizontal lines than vertical; it is worth mentioning that vertical deformation affects horizontal line perception and vice versa. Allegrini and Coll 28 measured the displacement of retinal vascular junctions after ERM peeling and found a significant correlation with BCVA changes.…”

Challenges in Reading Arabic among Children with Dyslexia

“…5 The critical point size has been described as a reading performance parameter that affects peoples' daily living because it is the smallest print size a person can read at his/her maximum reading speed. 32 To the authors' knowledge, there are no published data on the average critical point size for children reading Arabic.…”

“…The visual span of individuals with dyslexia may increase with large print sizes above their critical point size, but it would be still less than that of normal readers owing to their smaller critical point size in the first place 5 . The critical point size has been described as a reading performance parameter that affects peoples' daily living because it is the smallest print size a person can read at his/her maximum reading speed 32 . To the authors' knowledge, there are no published data on the average critical point size for children reading Arabic.…”