OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the behavior of a population in relation to reading capacity considering font sizes of the texts with the objective of identifying minimum patterns accessible of font sizes. METHODS: Four hundred participants and their companions over the age of forty were interviewed at the state hospital Mário Covas of Santo André between 2007 and 2008. They were given a reading test with five different font sizes. RESULTS: The majority (79.75%) reported having difficulty with reading. Participants preferred larger font size among the samples that were given, concluding that reading is largely influenced by font size. CONCLUSION: This discovery justifies alerting society about disorders that occur with people over the age of forty, indicating the number 14 as the ideal font size to improve reading in people who suffer from presbyopia and other refractive disorders.
Presbyopia; Reading; Access of information; Quality of life
