Biomedical subjects

Melissa L Rice

Publications and source records attributed to Melissa L Rice.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

An abbreviated reading speed test.

PURPOSE: The Minnesota Low-Vision Reading Test (MNREAD) has been developed to measure reading speed. An abbreviated version of the MNREAD test was developed that presented only three large paragraphs and would be easier for children to complete. METHODS: Fifty children ages 8 to 18 years, with normal eye examinations or refractive error alone, underwent testing of reading speed using the MNREAD test. All the children read the standard MNREAD paragraphs starting at the 1.0 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) level until they could no longer read the subsequent paragraph. Each eye was tested separately, using the second MNREAD card for the left eye. The standard MNREAD reading speed was calculated by plotting the speed for each paragraph, determining the critical print size, then taking the median value of all the paragraphs above the cutoff paragraph. The proposed abbreviated test reading speed was calculated from the median of three large paragraphs (logMAR, 1.0, 0.9, and 0.8). At a second site, 25 children with a variety of ocular conditions were similarly tested using an alternative abbreviated test (logMAR, 1.3, 1.2, and 1.1). The standard and abbreviated reading speeds were then compared between tests and between eyes using generalized estimating equation and intraclass correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The mean reading method speeds with the standard and abbreviated tests were almost identical [177 words per minute (wpm) +/- 46 wpm vs. 178 +/- 46 wpm, p = 0.43 for normal children and 140 +/- 29 wpm vs. 141 +/- 33 wpm, p = 0.35 in children with a variety of ocular conditions]. CONCLUSION.: The new abbreviated version of the MNREAD reading speed test yields similar results to the standard MNREAD test in children. The new abbreviated MNREAD test is faster to administer and appears to be particularly useful for children.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Comparison of the amblyopia treatment study HOTV and electronic-early treatment of diabetic retinopathy study visual acuity protocols in children aged 5 to 12 years.

PURPOSE: To compare two established visual acuity protocols: the Amblyopia Treatment Study HOTV (ATS HOTV) visual acuity protocol and the Electronic-Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (E-ETDRS) protocol, in children aged 5 to 12 years. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Crowded HOTV optotypes and crowded ETDRS optotypes were presented to 236 consecutive children aged 5 to 12 years using an electronic visual acuity tester (Palm handheld, personal computer, and monitor). Twenty-three percent of the children were classified as amblyopic, 35% as having uncorrected refractive error, 36% as normal, and 6% as other. Visual acuity test results were converted to logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) units for analysis. RESULTS: In developmentally normal children (n = 230), testability was 100% for HOTV in 5- to 12-year-olds and 100% for E-ETDRS in 7- to 12-year-olds. The E-ETDRS testing could be completed in 52% of 5-year-olds and in 87% of 6-year-olds. Visual acuity performance was better when measured by HOTV compared with E-ETDRS (median difference 0.06 logMAR [three letters on a chart with five letters/line], P =.0001), and the difference was found in normal eyes, eyes with refractive error, and amblyopic eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The ATS HOTV protocol yields slightly better visual acuity performance compared with E-ETDRS in 5- to 12-year-olds, but on average by less than a logMAR level. This systematic difference is important when a physician changes testing modality as a child matures and should be considered when interpreting the results of recent and ongoing clinical trials in amblyopia.

Amblyopia↗

PubMed2003

Reliability of the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study testing protocol in children 7 to <13 years old.

PURPOSE: To assess the test-retest reliability of the electronic Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (E-ETDRS) visual acuity algorithm using the computerized Electronic Visual Acuity (EVA) tester in children 7 to <13 years old. DESIGN: Test-retest reliability study. METHODS: This multicenter study involved 245 subjects at four clinical sites. As the main outcome measure, visual acuity was measured twice using the E-ETDRS testing protocol on the EVA system, which uses a programmed handheld device to communicate with a personal computer and a 17-inch monitor at a 3-m test distance. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was high (r =.94 for right eyes and 0.96 for left eyes) and for both right and left eyes, 89% of retest scores were within 0.1 logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) (five letters) of the initial test score and 99% of retests were within 0.2 logMAR (10 letters). Reliability was high across the age range of 7 to <13 years. Based on 95% confidence level estimates, a change in visual acuity of 0.2 logMAR (10 letters) from a previous acuity measure is unlikely to result from measurement variability. CONCLUSIONS: The E-ETDRS protocol using the EVA has high test-retest reliability in children 7 to <13 years of age. Potential advantages include better standardization across multiple sites, the ability to directly capture data electronically with an automatic acuity score calculation, the reduction of potential bias by limiting the tester's role, and the requirement of only a single testing distance for measurements from 20/800 to 20/12. This computerized testing method should be considered when visual acuity is used as an outcome measure in eye research involving children 7 to <13 years old.

Adolescent↗