TABLE I.
Demographic characteristics of blind and sighted participants
| ID | Age (yr) |
Sex | Right- handed (%) |
Reading hand |
w.p.m. | Age of onset (yr) |
Light sensitivity |
Years reading |
Cause of blindness | Correct (%) |
RT letters (ms) |
RT words (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early 1 | 54 | F | 100 | Both | 170.6 | 0 | None | 49 | Retinopathy of prematurity | 100 | 350.0 | 1,138.2 |
| Early 5 | 44 | F | 100 | Both | 88.1 | 3 | None | 38 | Glaucoma | 95 | 776.5 | 1,060.6 |
| Early 7 | 72 | M | 94 | Both | 40.4 | 5 | None | 66 | Cataracts | 100 | 819.1 | 1,302.5 |
| Early 9 | 49 | M | 80 | Right | 113.3 | 0 | None | 44 | Retrolental fibroplasia | 95 | 735.6 | 899.5 |
| Early 10 | 37 | M | 90 | Both | 71.2 | 0 | Presence | 32 | Retinopathy of prematurity | 100 | ||
| Early 11 | 28 | M | 95 | Left | 58.7 | 0 | Some | 21 | Leber’s congenital amaurosis | 100 | 1,480.0 | 1,858.5 |
| Early 12 | 27 | M | 91 | Left | 60.2 | 0 | None | 22 | Retinopathy of prematurity | 100 | 926.8 | |
| Early 13 | 71 | F | 75 | Both | 109.2 | 0 | None | 65 | Eye infection | 84 | ||
| Early 14 | 59 | F | 91 | Both | 137 | 0 | Light source | 54 | Genetic retinal pigmentation | 100 | 665.7 | 1,182.0 |
| Average | 49.0 | 90.7 | 94.3 | 0.9 | 43.4 | 97.1 | 822.0 | 1,240.2 | ||||
| SEM (±) | 5.6 | 2.8 | 14.0 | 0.6 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 113.9 | 110.4 | ||||
| Late 6 | 51 | F | 100 | Right | 37.6 | 25 | None | 24 | Retinitis pigmentosa | 100 | ||
| Late 8 | 51 | F | 100 | Both | 32.6 | 12 | Right eye | 14 | Steven Johnson’s syndrome | 95 | 1,511.0 | 1,417.7 |
| Late 11 | 48 | F | 23 | Both | 182.3 | 20 | Right eye | 42 | Retinopathy of prematurity | NR | ||
| Late 14 | 19 | M | 87 | Left | 71.7 | 18 | Some | 13 | Microcornea | 100 | 1,038.6 | 1,085.1 |
| Late 16 | 41 | M | 100 | Both | 37.5 | 11 | None | 30 | Cataracts | 100 | ||
| Late 17 | 23 | M | 100 | Both | 76.6 | 5.5 | Some | 17 | Detached retina | 100 | ||
| Late 18 | 61 | F | 100 | Left | 10.0 | 41 | Some | 5 | Retinitis pigmentosa | 89.5 | ||
| Late 19 | 58 | F | 91 | Right | 50.0 | 7 | Some | 9 months | Macular degeneration | 84.2 | 949.7 | 825.7 |
| Late 20 | 42 | F | 100 | Both | 106.3 | 7 | None | 34 | Glaucoma | 95 | 1,194.5 | 1,645.1 |
| Average | 43.8 | 67.2 | 16.3 | 22.4 | 95.5 | 1,173.4 | 1,243.4 | |||||
| SEM (±) | 4.8 | 17.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 93.3 | 136.5 | |||||
| Sighted 1 | 62 | M | 73 | 63 | 1,426.2 | 1,925.7 | ||||||
| Sighted 2 | 52 | F | 91 | 95 | 1,230.0 | 1,262.9 | ||||||
| Sighted 3 | 56 | M | 86 | 100 | 785.4 | 1,550.6 | ||||||
| Sighted 4 | 36 | M | 86 | 100 | ||||||||
| Sighted 5 | 33 | M | 36 | 100 | 1,142.5 | 1,299.8 | ||||||
| Sighted 6 | 48 | F | 95 | 74 | 1,074.8 | 1,573.0 | ||||||
| Sighted 7 | 26 | M | 100 | 89.5 | ||||||||
| Sighted 8 | 68 | M | 14 | 95 | 1,258.7 | 1,107.3 | ||||||
| Sighted 9 | 18 | M | −100 | 95 | 1,303.0 | |||||||
| Sighted 10 | 33 | F | 23 | 100 | 1,378.6 | 1,381.2 | ||||||
| Average | 43.2 | 91.2 | 1,199.9 | 1,442.9 | ||||||||
| SEM (±) | 5.2 | 4.0 | 64.2 | 84.7 |