A new study from the psychologists from the University of Leicester shows how older adults can change the way of reading words, says a report in Medical Xpress.
A new method was used to assess the eye movements of young and older adults while they read lines of text which was in either fine print or blurred or a different format. According to the results young adults aged from 18 to 30 years found it easy to read lines of fines print, while the same was difficult for older adults aged more than 65 years. Older adults found it easier to read more blurred text.
Dr. Kevin Paterson, from the University of Leicester, said in a report by Medical Xpress: "The findings showed that the difficulty older readers often experience is likely to be related to a progressive decline in visual sensitivity, particularly for visual detail, due to optical changes and changes in neural transmission even in individuals with apparently normal vision."
"However, the findings also showed that older readers comprehended text just as accurately as younger readers. Consequently, although normal aging clearly leads to important changes in reading behaviour, it seems that adaptive responses to the changing nature of the visual input may help older adults to read and understand text efficiently well into later life," he added.
The research can help to learn why older people have difficulty in reading and further study and research can help in fight against it to provide a treatment. Dr. Paterson further said in the same report how aging can affect the vision.
"As we get older, we lose visual sensitivity, particularly to fine visual detail, due to changes in the eye and changes in neural transmission," Dr. Paterson. "This loss of visual sensitivity is found even in individuals with apparently normal vision and is not corrected by optical aids, such as glasses or contact lenses. However, it is likely to have consequences for reading."
