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Objective: Determine the effects of display viewing distance on both the visual and musculoskeletal systems while the text height is held constant across viewing distances. Background: The distance from the eyes to a computer display may affect visual and neck comfort. If the angular size of the characters remains the same, it is recommended that the display be placed at a farther viewing distance (e.g., 70—100 cm). However, in common usage, the character sizes are not adjusted based on viewing distance. Method: Participants under the age of 35 years ( N = 24) performed visually demanding tasks using a computer display for 2 hr each at three viewing distances (mean: 52.4, 73.0, and 85.3 cm) while torso and head posture were tracked. At the end of each task, eye accommodation was measured and symptoms were recorded. Results: The near distance was associated with significantly less blurred vision, less dry or irritated eyes, less headache, and improved convergence recovery when compared with the middle and far distances. Participants moved their torsos and heads closer to the monitor at the far distance. Conclusion: If the computer screen character sizes are close to the limits of visual acuity, it is recommended that the computer monitor be positioned between the near (52 cm) and middle (73 cm) distance from the eyes. Application: The location of a computer display should take into account the size of the characters on the screen and the visual acuity of the user.

Effects of font design and electronic display parameters upon text legibility were determined using a threshold size method. Participants' visual acuity (inverse of the minimum detection size, representing the threshold legibility for each condition) was measured using upper- and lowercase letters and lowercase words in combinations of 6 fonts, 3 font-smoothing modes, 4 font sizes, 10 pixel heights, and 4 stroke widths. Individual lowercase letters were 10% to 20% more legible than lowercase words (i.e., lowercase words must be 10%-20% larger to have the same threshold legibility). This letter superiority effect suggests that individual letters play a large role and word shape plays a smaller role, if any, in word identification at threshold. Pixel height, font, stroke width, and font smoothing had significant main effects on threshold legibility. Optimal legibility was attained at 9 pixels (10 points). Verdana and Arial were the most legible fonts; Times New Roman and Franklin were least legible. Subpixel rendering (ClearTypeTM) improved threshold legibility for some fonts and, in combination with Verdana, was the most legible condition. Increased stroke width (bold) improved threshold legibility but only at the thinnest width tested. Potential applications of this research include optimization of font design for legibility and readability.