Purpose. Recently, a new type of low-vision magnifier has been introduced that is characterized by the use of head-mounted zoom cameras and video displays. We asked if low-vision readers, using this system, 1) could achieve their maximum reading speed, 2) could read newsprint, and 3) by how much could they extend the range of legible print size.

Method. There were 10 low-vision readers (acuity range: 20/100 to 20/960). We used the MNREAD Acuity Chart to measure reading speeds as a function of print size with two versions of LVES (Low Vision Enhancement System) and with unaided vision. The newer LVES version was an improvement over the older version because it had a reading camera with higher resolution. We also measured reading speeds with LVES for short newspaper articles of 100 words printed in Times-Roman font at 10 point size.

Results. Readers could attain the same maximum reading speeds using LVES as they could with unaided vision and large print. Additionally, the critical print size (the smallest size that could be read with maximum reading speed) improved by 0.6 logMAR using the older LVES version, and by 1.1 logMAR using the newer version, compared to unaided reading. All readers were able to read the newspaper articles at maximum reading speed with LVES except the two readers with the lowest acuity (20/640 and 20/960) who found the print size too small.

Conclusion. LVES enabled low-vision readers to extend their range of readable print sizes (including newspaper print) by about a factor of ten while achieving reading speeds similar to those attained with unaided vision. Our findings indicate that, in principle, head-mounted video magnifiers can be useful reading aids for people with low vision.