Calculating reading acuity
An estimate of reading acuity is given by the smallest print size at which
the patient can read the entire sentence without making significant errors.
(Usually reading performance deteriorates rapidly as the acuity limit is
approached, and it is easy to determine the level where reading becomes
impossible). This method measures acuity to the nearest 0.1 logMAR.
The MNREAD ACUITY CHARTS can be used to provide a more sensitive and
reliable measure of reading acuity. Each sentence has 60 characters, which
corresponds to 10 standard length words, assuming a standard word length
of 6 characters (including a space). Thus, each sentence can be divided
into 10 smaller parts, and acuity can be measured to the closest 0.01 logMAR.
-
After the patient has read as much of the chart as possible, count the
number of sentences that the patient read or attempted to read. If the
patient did not start to read from the top of the chart, then include the
sentences above the starting level as if they had been read.
-
Count the number of words that the patient read incorrectly.
-
Calculate reading acuity (in logMAR) using the following formula:
Acuity = 1.4 - (sentences x 0.1) + (errors x 0.01).
See the example
of this calculation.
Scoring for non-standard viewing distances
A convenient feature of the logMAR scale is that it allows simple conversion
of reading acuity between different viewing distances.
When the chart is used at a distance other than 40cm, determine the
patient's score as outlined in the previous section, then adjust
this value to account for the viewing distance used.
Conversion to Snellen Acuity
Reading acuities in logMAR can be expressed as a Snellen
fraction.<
© Minnesota Laboratory
for Low-Vision Reserch. This page was last modified on Sun Oct 3 15:16:00
1999. Pages created and maintained by stevem@eye.psych.umn.edu
MNREAD Acuity Charts: © 1994 Regents of the University of Minnesota.
MNREAD is a trademark owned by the Regents of the University of Minnesota.
Disclaimer required by the University of Minnesota: The views and opinions
expressed on this page are strictly those of the author. The contents of
this page have not been approved by the University of Minnesota.
