Closed circuit television (CCTV) systems have proven useful in professional and recreational rehabilitation of the partially sighted. However, the parameters for optimum performance on such systems have not been examined. This investigation shows that contrast is an important parameter in CCTV reading performance; for many patients, even slight contrast reductions significantly reduce reading performance. Distance acuity is not a good predictor of CCTV reading performance, nor is performance on conventional contrast sensitivity measures. However, a commercially available test for contrast sensitivity (the Arden plates) may be useful for predicting CCTV reading performance.