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Study: Blink rates similar in reading from computer screen, hard copy
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In a study to assess ocular and vision symptoms in computer use, researchers found that blink rates in reading from a computer screen vs. reading from an equivalent hard copy page were not significantly different.
Chu and colleagues reported in Optometry and Vision Science that they studied the blink rates for 25 participants by videotaping them during reading sessions and having them fill out a questionnaire about the ocular symptoms they experienced.
The subjects were required to read for 20 minutes from either a desktop computer screen or a printed hard copy page. The viewing distance was set at 50 cm, and identical text, matched for size and contrast, was used in both sessions. Target viewing angle and lighting were similar in both sessions, according to the study.
Researchers found that the average blink rates for the hard copy and computer sessions were 13.6 and 14.9 blinks per minute, respectively. They also found a significantly higher percentage of incomplete blinks in the computer session (7.02%) as compared to the hard copy session (4.33%).
"It is proposed that the previously observed differences in blink rate are more likely to be produced by changes in cognitive demand rather than the method of presentation. However, a higher percentage of incomplete blinks was noted during computer operation, which may have been associated with visual fatigue," the authors concluded.
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