When Seeing Is Not Necessarily Believing

The screen above is the introduction to a short animation displaying some text as it might appear to a dyslexic reader. It contains some 80 words. The average person without any literacy problems should be able to read and fully comprehend the clear text version which follows in about 20 to 30 seconds. And yet double that time is scarcely sufficient for most such readers to cope with the garbled version. But the garbled version represents reality for dyslexic readers. See for yourself above. Another commonly reported effect is that text jumping or moving which the animation below attempts to mimic.

In any field of research you can probably find diametrically opposed assertions. Those below represent the majority view.

1. Most adults read 250-300 words per minute.
2. When reading the eyes do not move smoothly but in a succession of small jerks or saccades.
3. Saccades alternate with momentary 'fixation' pauses.
4. Recognition occurs during the pauses; none during saccades.
   
5. All readers make involuntary backward or 'regressive' saccadic movements.
6. Poor readers make more regressive movements than good readers.
   
7. Complex content increases regressive movements.
8. Whole words are processed as fast as single letters.
9. Perception in normal readers is by processing whole words.
   
10. The top half of letters are more important for letter recognition than the lower half.
11. Long words tend to be recognised faster than short words.
12. Nonsense takes longer to process than meaningful content because there are more pauses.
    
13. Regressive pauses are not a fault but essential to comprehension.
14. With normal eyesight the optimal distance from text to eye is about 300-350 mm.
15. At optimal distance some 4 letters of normal text fall within the area of maximal or 'foveal' vision.
16. At optimal distance some 12-15 letters will be moderately clear.
17. Excessive or all capitalised print slows reading.
18. Bold print is no more legible than normal print.
19. Italics slow reading slightly. At a subjective level most readers dislike italics.
    
20. 9-12 point print appears optimal. Larger sizes reduce reading efficiency.
    
21. Short lines tend to slow reading by increasing fixation pauses.
22. Very long lines cause a sharp increase of regressions.
23. Less proficient readers tend to read unjustified text more easily than justified.
24. Wide margins appear to yield no advantage to ease or speed of reading.
25. White text on black or coloured text on white are less efficient than black text on white.
26. Reading efficiency severely reduces when not horizontal and not at a 90º reading angle.