Foveolar Drusen Decrease Fixation Stability in Pre-Symptomatic AMD.

Purpose: This study aims at linking subtle changes of fixational eye movements (FEM) in controls and in patients with foveal drusen using adaptive optics retinal imaging in order to find anatomo-functional markers for pre-symptomatic age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: We recruited 7 young controls, 4 older controls, and 16 patients with presymptomatic AMD with foveal drusen from the Silversight Cohort. A high-speed research-grade adaptive optics flood illumination ophthalmoscope (AO-FIO) was used for monocular retinal tracking of fixational eye movements.

Performance on clinical outcomes, activities of daily living and user experience on head-mounted displays for people with vision impairment.

Purpose: To compare the objective performance, acceptance and usability of head-mounted displays (HMDs) to provide evidence-based data that could be used to increase the efficiency of device referrals based upon a person's vision loss and functional needs.

Methods: A cross-sectional, counterbalanced, individually controlled crossover study was performed on 15 adults with various eye conditions. Performance was measured when using four HMDs: eSight4, Eyedaptic EYE3, Eyedaptic EYE4 and IrisVision Inspire.

Association of Psychosocial Factors with Activation Among Patients with Glaucoma.

Objective: To investigate the association of psychosocial factors with health self-management behaviors and beliefs among patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Design: Prospective cross-sectional cohort study.

Participants: Patients (n = 202) with mild, moderate, or advanced bilateral POAG.

Virtual reality as a means to explore assistive technologies for the visually impaired.

Visual impairment represents a significant health and economic burden affecting 596 million globally. The incidence of visual impairment is expected to double by 2050 as our population ages. Independent navigation is challenging for persons with visual impairment, as they often rely on non-visual sensory signals to find the optimal route.

Wearables for persons with blindness and low vision: form factor matters.

Based on statistics from the WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, an estimated 43.3 million people have blindness and 295 million have moderate and severe vision impairment globally as of 2020, statistics expected to increase to 61 million and 474 million respectively by 2050, staggering numbers. Blindness and low vision (BLV) stultify many activities of daily living, as sight is beneficial to most functional tasks.

The BLV App Arcade: a new curated repository and evaluation rubric for mobile applications supporting blindness and low vision.

Purpose: Visual impairment-related disabilities have become increasingly pervasive. Current reports estimate a total of 36 million persons with blindness and 217 million persons with moderate to severe visual impairment worldwide. Assistive technologies (AT), including text-to-speech software, navigational/spatial guides, and object recognition tools have the capacity to improve the lives of people with blindness and low vision.

A Smart Service System for Spatial Intelligence and Onboard Navigation for Individuals with Visual Impairment (VISION Thailand): study protocol of a randomized controlled trial of visually impaired students at the Ratchasuda College, Thailand.

Background: Blind/low vision (BLV) severely limits information about our three-dimensional world, leading to poor spatial cognition and impaired navigation. BLV engenders mobility losses, debility, illness, and premature mortality. These mobility losses have been associated with unemployment and severe compromises in quality of life.

The Relationship Between Cognitive Status and Known Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Recent literature has reported a higher occurrence of cognitive impairment among individuals with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) compared to older adults with normal vision. This pilot study explored potential links between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AMD and cognitive status. Individuals with AMD ( = 21) and controls ( = 18) were genotyped for the SNPs CFHY402H, ARMS2A69S and FADS1 rs174547.

ASSIST: Evaluating the usability and performance of an indoor navigation assistant for blind and visually impaired people.

This paper describes the interface and testing of an indoor navigation app - ASSIST - that guides blind & visually impaired (BVI) individuals through an indoor environment with high accuracy while augmenting their understanding of the surrounding environment. ASSIST features personalized interfaces by considering the unique experiences that BVI individuals have in indoor wayfinding and offers multiple levels of multimodal feedback. After an overview of the technical approach and implementation of the first prototype of the ASSIST system, the results of two pilot studies performed with BVI individuals are presented - a performance study to collect data on mobility (walking speed, collisions, and navigation errors) while using the app, and a usability study to collect user evaluation data on the perceived helpfulness, safety, ease-of-use, and overall experience while using the app.

Reduced Mammography Screening for Breast Cancer among Women with Visual Impairment.

Purpose: Timely mammography to screen for breast cancer in accordance with the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations can reduce morbidity and mortality substantially. This study assessed whether the odds of undergoing screening mammography are similar for women with and without visual impairment (VI).

Design: Retrospective, longitudinal cohort study.

Activation in individuals with vision loss.

Vision loss and blindness are significant causes of disability. Patient activation has been previously unstudied in individuals with vision loss. Among our 146 participants, visual acuities for 38.

Association of Vision Loss With Hospital Use and Costs Among Older Adults.

Importance: Patients with vision loss who are hospitalized for common illnesses are often not identified as requiring special attention. This perception, however, may affect the outcomes, resource use, and costs for these individuals.

Objective: To assess whether the mean hospitalization lengths of stay, readmission rates, and costs of hospitalization differed between individuals with vision loss and those without when they are hospitalized for similar medical conditions.

Outcomes After Comprehensive Vision Rehabilitation Using Vision-related Quality of Life Questionnaires: Impact of Vision Impairment and National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire.

Significance: This research is significant because, although vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) is improved after vision rehabilitation (VR), patients with certain characteristics respond less positively on VRQoL measures, and this should inform future care.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to evaluate how two VRQoL questionnaires compare in measuring change in patient-reported outcomes after VR and to determine if patient characteristics or occupational therapy (OT) predict higher scores after rehabilitation.

Methods: In a prospective clinical cohort study, 109 patients with low vision completed the Impact of Vision Impairment (IVI) and the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) before and after VR.

Performance of Real-world Functional Tasks Using an Updated Oral Electronic Vision Device in Persons Blinded by Trauma.

Unlabelled: There is an immediate need for noninvasive therapies to improve the functional abilities of persons blinded by traumatic injury. The BrainPort Vision Pro, an updated hands-free oral electronic vision device, enables perception of visual information using the tongue as a substitute for the eye.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the BrainPort Vision Pro on real-world functional task performance in persons who are profoundly blind (light perception or worse) due to traumatic injury (ocular or cortical).

Test-retest Variability of a Standardized Low Vision Lighting Assessment.

Significance: Systematic lighting assessments should be part of low vision evaluations. The LuxIQ has gained popularity as an assessment tool, but its reliability has not been examined independently and is necessary for evidence-based vision rehabilitation.

Purpose: Besides magnification, improved lighting levels are a common intervention in reading rehabilitation for individuals with low vision.

Comparisons of Two Microperimeters: The Clinical Value of an Extended Stimulus Range.

Significance: Fundus-guided perimetry is a common clinical tool used to measure visual field sensitivities. Comparisons between perimeters are often made despite relative differences in hardware parameters. We directly compared two perimeters using Weber contrast, which allowed us to assess the clinical gain associated with the extended stimulus range of the macular integrity assessment (MAIA).

Effects of Lighting on Reading Speed as a Function of Letter Size.

Objective: We sought to determine under what conditions brighter lighting improves reading performance.

Method: Thirteen participants with typical sight and 9 participants with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) read sentences ranging from 0.0 to 1.

Ophthalmologic Baseline Characteristics and 2-Year Ophthalmologic Safety Profile of Pramipexole IR Compared with Ropinirole IR in Patients with Early Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) progressively affects dopaminergic neurotransmission and may affect retinal dopaminergic functions and structures. This 2-year randomized, open-label, parallel-group, flexible-dose study, NCT00144300, evaluated ophthalmologic safety profiles of immediate-release (IR) pramipexole and ropinirole in patients with early idiopathic PD with ≤6 months' prior dopamine agonist exposure and without preexisting major eye disorders. Patients received labeled IR regimens of pramipexole ( = 121) or ropinirole ( = 125) for 2 years.

Stargardt Macular Dystrophy: Changes in Fixation When Asked to Look Straight Ahead.

Purpose: To examine whether individuals with Stargardt disease macular dystrophy (STGD) change the location of fixation with instruction.

Design: Case-control study.

Participants: Thirteen normally sighted and 37 STGD participants.

Abnormal fixation in individuals with age-related macular degeneration when viewing an image of a face.

Purpose: It has been reported that patients with macular disease have difficulties with face perception. Some of this difficulty may be caused by the sensory and perceptual consequences of using peripheral retina. However, strong correlations have not always been found between performance on face tasks and clinical measure of function.

The physics and psychophysics of microperimetry.

Purpose: To assess the influences of stimulus parameters (physics) on measures of visual field sensitivity (psychophysics).

Methods: Subjects' thresholds were measured on three different clinically available perimeters: the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA), the Nidek MP1 (MP1), and the Opko OCT/SLO (OSLO). On all machines, visual field testing was done with a 10-2 spatial distribution of test points, using Goldmann Size III and Size I stimuli, with a presentation time of 200 ms, and using a 4-2 threshold algorithm.

Effect of depression on actual and perceived effects of reading rehabilitation for people with central vision loss.

To investigate the relationship between depression and quantitative measures of visual function, we recruited 18 subjects with central scotomas from macular degeneration who were enrolled in a reading rehabilitation program. Psychological batteries and reading assessments were administered prior to rehabilitation; reading assessments and a measure of adaptation to vision loss were administered following rehabilitation. We investigated relationships between reported levels of depressive symptoms and reading and adaptation outcome measures by using Pearson product moment correlation analysis.

Reading rehabilitation of individuals with AMD: relative effectiveness of training approaches.

Purpose: To quantify the effects of three vision rehabilitation training approaches on improvements in reading performance.

Methods: Thirty subjects with AMD participated in the training portion of the study. The median age of the subjects was 79 years (range, 54-89 years).