Background:Understanding limitations on text reading with eccentric fixation is of major concern in low vision research.Our objective was to determine,in patients with a central scotoma,whether threshold character size is similar for different word lengths and paragraphed texts.Methods:In 19 patients,we retrospectively analyzed the relationship between minimum readable character size for isolated words and text.Isolated letters,two,five,and ten-letter words and a paragraphed text were presented randomly through a scanning laser ophthalmoscope in eight different character sizes.Results:Threshold character size varied according to the text stimulus(p< 0.05).Threshold character sizes for single letters and two-letter words were matched(p > 0.99),as were those for five-letter words,ten-letter words,and paragraphed text(p >0.99).Threshold character size for single letters and two-letter words was significantly lower than that measured with other text stimuli.Discussion:Reading performance is influenced by a variety of factors such as crowding,contextual effects,visual span,degree of oculomotor adaptation needed,and frequency of a defined word.Globally,when reading with a central scotoma,it appears that within word characteristics have more impact than inter-word parameters on threshold character size. Background: Understanding limitations on text reading with eccentric fixation is of major concern in low vision research. Our objective was to determine, in patients with a central scotoma, whether threshold character size is similar for different word lengths and paragraphed texts.Methods: In 19 patients, we retrospectively analyzed the relationship between minimum readable character size for isolated words and text. Isolated letters, two, five, and ten-letter words and a paragraphed text were presented randomly through a scanning laser ophthalmoscope in eight different character sizes. Results: Threshold character sizes for the text stimulus (p <0.05). Threshold character sizes for single letters and two-letter words were matched (p> 0.99), as were those for five-letter words, ten-letter words, and paragraphed text (p> 0.99). Threshold character size for single letters and two-letter words was significantly lower than that measured with other text stimuli. Discussion: Reading performance i s influenced by a variety of factors such as crowding, contextual effects, visual span, degree of oculomotor adaptation needed, and frequency of a defined word. Globally, when reading with a central scotoma, it appears that word within has word impact more than inter -word parameters on threshold character size.