COPPELL, Texas—Neurolens announced that a new study found that its proprietary contoured prism spectacle lenses, which are designed to improve visual comfort by enhancing binocularity, can also increase reading speed significantly. Contoured prism has historically shown efficacy in relieving symptoms as a therapeutic offering. The new research findings suggest that there is also an opportunity to expand this technology to a broader population focused on visual performance and productivity improvement, according to the announcement from the company.

In a parallel arm study evaluating reading speed at baseline, after seven days of lens wear the mean (±SD) improvement in reading speed with Neurolenses was almost 70 percent higher than the mean (±SD) improvement in reading speed with other premium lens designs.
 
“Everything we do at Neurolens is supported by a strong clinical foundation, and we will never stop raising the bar on ourselves in this area,” said Pierre Bertrand, CEO of Neurolens. “These new results have exciting implications for impacting the vision industry and serve as an important first step in clinically demonstrating the impact binocular vision correction can have on productivity, comprehension and learning. We are excited to build on these results with further studies,” Betrand told VMAIL.
 
To test the impact of Neurolens on productivity, a double-masked parallel arm study was designed with two subgroups: Treatment and Control, each consisting of 30 young adults. The Treatment group received a pair of Neurolenses with a prescription based on the practitioner’s Rx using the subject’s best corrected vision. The Control group received a premium single vision lens which yielded the best corrected vision for the individual. Reading speed was assessed initially using the Wilkins Rate of Reading Test (WRRT).
 
Every individual enrolled in the study wore the randomized study lens assigned to them for 7±2 days. Reading speed was then reevaluated after the wear-in period. The investigator then calculated the number of words correctly read per minute for each passage. The mean (±SD) improvement in the reading speed for Neurolenses was +20.96 words per minute, and the mean (±SD) improvement in the reading speed for the Control was +12.39 words per minute. ANOVA analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in the reading speed with Neurolenses compared to the Control lens (F = 4.45; p = 0.03).
 
A 2017 study by the National Library of Medicine found evidence of a relationship between reading speed and reading comprehension. However, the researchers noted that some questions remain to be explored, as the changes in such a relationship may be a function of development.
 
“Our visual behavior has obviously changed dramatically over the last century,” said Brenda Montecalvo, OD, FCOVD, FAAO, FCSO, renowned author and international speaker in the areas of vision and learning. “People are spending a large portion of their waking hours reading text—especially on digital screens—and I am thrilled that companies like Neurolens are actively trying to push the industry forward and clinically demonstrate ways that we can positively impact these patients.”