# Perceptual mechanisms underlying reading difficulties in glaucoma

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $352,881

## Abstract

PROPJECT SUMMARY
Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), characterized by progressive neurodegeneration of retinal ganglion
cells and associated visual field defects, is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. The
predominant view has been that glaucoma spares central visual function until the end-stages. However,
accumulating evidence shows that the macula is involved in even early glaucomatous damage, including a
significant reduction in retinal nerve fiber layer and/or ganglion cell layer thickness. In parallel with
physiological evidence, behavioral evidence shows that functional deficits in various central vision tasks,
such as reading and face recognition, often appear in individuals with glaucoma. Surprisingly, reading
problems have been cited as a main source of anxiety among people with glaucoma. However, at present,
we have no understanding of how glaucomatous damage impedes pattern recognition in the assumed-to-
be-preserved central visual field. Nor do we know of effective means to alleviate these deficits. Even when
treatment controls disease progression, individuals with existing visual field defects need to cope with
compromised vision. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms limiting everyday visual function in
glaucoma is important from both clinical and basic science perspectives. The proposed study will build on
the empirical findings from our preliminary work and theoretical work from several decades of human
pattern vision in order to make fundamental advances in our understanding of central visual function of
glaucoma. The major goals of the proposed research are to understand how glaucoma undermines central
pattern vision and to apply this knowledge to guiding the development of effective rehabilitative strategies to
optimize the remaining vision of people with glaucoma. In particular, our specific aims are (1) To understand
the impact of glaucomatous damage on central pattern recognition, (2) To understand the role of the spatial
pattern of visual field defects, (3) To apply perceptual learning to reading rehabilitation of individuals with
glaucoma. To date, very little attention has been paid to such research. The outcome of the current
research proposal is expected to help us understand the limiting factors underlying daily visual function in
glaucoma and identify potential rehabilitative interventions. Furthermore, the knowledge obtained from the
proposed research will provide new insights on how retinal ganglion cell pathology affects human pattern
recognition.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10200054
- **Project number:** 5R01EY027857-06
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MiYoung Kwon
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $352,881
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10200054

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10200054, Perceptual mechanisms underlying reading difficulties in glaucoma (5R01EY027857-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10200054. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*