Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in adults 65 years of age and older. ARMD often results in scotomas affecting the fovea, leading to central field loss. We used simulated scotomas in normally sighted young adults to test the impact of scotoma size and location on reading. We measured reading rate and eye movement patterns and found that the number of letters masked by the scotoma is more important than the size of the scotoma in degrees of visual angle and that forcing subjects to attend below a simulated scotoma results in better reading than when they are forced to attend to either the left or the right.