| Sumario: | Background: As the world moves toward an increasingly digital age, differences in reading between digital and paper presentations become more pertinent. We aimed to contribute to the evidence in order to answer the question: Is there a difference in reading ability when comparing paper and electronic formats? Methods: Optometry students (n = 50) aged 20-35 years old were recruited for this study and were screened for any abnormalities of their visual acuity or binocular system. Eligible subjects were randomized to read either a computer passage or paper passage first. Comprehension, reading speed in words per minute, fixations, and regressions were measured for each group via the infrared technology of the Visagraph III™. Results: For the computer passage, the average comprehension percentage was 77.5±14.5, and for the paper passage, 80±14.8. Average words per minute for the computer passage were 276.7±72.04, and for the paper passage, 238.1±56.0. Average fixations for the computer passage (right eye only) were 82.4±19.6, and for the paper passage, 104.6±22.1. Average regressions for the computer passage (right eye only) were 9.1±6.2, and for the paper passage, 10.4±5.8. Two-tailed paired t-test statistics were used to analyze the data for each of the reading components. There was no statistically significant difference when comparing the computer to paper presentations for either reading comprehension or regressions. A statistically significant difference was obtained for reading speed t=2.67 (p<0.01) and fixations t=-4.74 (p<0.001). Conclusions: Subjects reading the computer passages had a statistically significant faster reading speed compared to those reading the paper passages. Subjects reading the paper passage had a higher fixation rate compared to the computer group, which may have contributed to the slower reading speed. Further research is needed to see whether these results are repeatable in a younger cohort.
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