eReaders and Apps Could Help Glaucoma Patients

"Better strategies are needed to help glaucoma patients cope with difficulty reading. According to a new scientific study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, adults with glaucoma read slower when reading silently for long periods of time and are more likely to have their reading speed decrease over time, possibly a result of reading fatigue," reports Science Daily. "Technological solutions such as e-readers -- and the many apps being created for them -- could help. "Right now, so many products are available for presenting reading material in a variety of formats," says author Pradeep Ramulu MD, PhD, of The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital. 'If the optimal format for reading in the context of glaucoma could be determined, it would be easy to create an application to present text in this manner as part of a commercial device such as an iPad or Kindle.'" Read more.

There's a New York Times blog interview with the study's

eInk Devices, like the Traditional Kindle, Better for Eyes

"According to Dr. Michael Pier, O.D., Director of Professional Relations for the Bausch & Lomb North American Vision Care, the drawbacks of the bland and colorless interfaces typical to grayscale eInk readers are outweighed by their ocular advantages," reports Tablet PC Review. "'The total benefit of eInk is the reduction of glare,' says Pier. 'Glare affects your ability to see the contrasts between the letters and the background, and this is virtually eliminated by eInk. The better the contrast, the easier it is on the eyes. Contrast allows us to grab focus faster, because we’re not trying to interpret what might appear as a blur on the edges of letters.' In other words, eInk devices like the traditional Kindle eReader are easier to view with a glaring sun or light overhead." Read more.