Full-field, virtual bioptic magnifications improve reading ability in low vision patients
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- Both full-field and virtual bioptic telescope magnification groups experienced a significant improvement in reading.
- The head-mounted display devices were generally well-tolerated.
Both full-field and virtual bioptic telescope magnification modes on head-mounted display devices significantly helped improve reading ability among patients with low vision, according to a study published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“In 1992, the first head-mounted electronic low-vision enhancement system, equipped with a rechargeable battery and cathode ray tube displays, was designed to assist visually impaired patients,” Robert Chun, OD, FAAO, associate clinical professor at State University of New York College of Optometry, and colleagues wrote. “Considering the rapid growth of low-vision prevalence rates, the continued development of these head-mounted electronic technologies into more visually comfortable and affordable displays remains a priority to address the major functional difficulties of individuals with visual disabilities.”
Chun and colleagues fitted 88 patients from Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute Low Vision Rehabilitation Service with a smartphone-based Samsung Gear head-mounted display device and randomized them into full-field or virtual bioptic telescope magnification arms.
Participants underwent baseline assessments and were trained for at least 30 minutes before taking the device home for 2 to 4 weeks. Researchers administered the Activity Inventory adaptive rating scale questionnaire and Simulator Sickness Questionnaire at baseline and again at the end of the intervention period.
According to results, both groups experienced a significant effect on reading and small effects in the functional domains of goals and visual information, but neither group experienced improvement in mobility or visual motor categories.
Of 76 patients who completed the study, 11% reported headache, 4% nausea and 33% eye strain, according to results from the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire.
“Both magnification modes showed a positive effect for reading, visual information and the overall goals functional domain categories, with only reading reaching statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons,” Chun and colleagues wrote. “There were no significant between-group differences when we compared the two types of magnification modes.”
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts