9 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The VIS Opti-K Low Vision Aid device will be used to provide vision improvement to patients with refractive disorders (hyperopia and presbyopia).
To determine the impact of OrCam over 1 month on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in subjects with advanced glaucoma using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI-VFQ-25). To identify tasks for which subjects are using the OrCam device and patient satisfaction.
The purpose of this study is an evaluation of a tactile labeling strategy developed in the Ophthalmology Clinical Research Center at University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in collaboration with the UTMB Maker Space to improve low vision patients capability to identify their topical ophthalmic drop treatments and the frequency with which they should be administered. The labeling strategy includes protrusions as frequency markers and shapes to differentiate between treatments of similar frequency prescription.
One goal of this research is to conduct a non-inferiority trial of telerehabilitation versus in-office care to provide follow-up training to individuals with low vision to enhance their quality of life by using magnification devices and/or visual assistive mobile apps for important daily activities, such as reading and/or other valued tasks. This is a high priority given the increasing prevalence of low vision, paucity of low vision rehabilitation providers, and barriers related to access to care, such as transportation and geography, which can be essentially eliminated with telerehabilitation. Another goal of this project is to determine whether significant changes in environmental data collected by Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors can be used as a solution to monitor and indicate when low vision patients' have abandoned the use of their magnification devices, which has the potential to substantially enhance patient management by providing timely low vision rehabilitation services.
The goal of this observational study is to assess the reliability and validity of the 9-object MLSDT for evaluation of participants with moderate to severe vision impairment when tested without a wearable low-vision magnifying aid (eGlasses) and then with eGlasses. These results will be compared to ETDRS testing results for the same participants without eGlasses and then with eGlasses. Two cohorts will consist of participants who have vision loss due to STGD or geographic atrophy (GA) due to age-related macular degenerations (AMD). Normally sighted participants will provide a control group.
Reading performance in patients with Central Vision Loss and age matched controls with artificial scotomas will be measured with and without different kinds of remapping of missing text to different parts of the visual field.
The purpose of Project Magnify is to determine which of the two current strategies (large print versus optical aids) for helping visually impaired students improve their reading abilities works better. Our hypothesis is that optical aids work better than providing the student with large print materials. Since large print materials are of one size only, and the level of visual impairments among students varies greatly, it seems apparent that large print materials will work well for some students, but not for all. An optical aid designed for each individual student's level of impairment seems to hold more promise in helping each student reach their maximum level of performance. Although Project Magnify is designed to increase reading abilities, it is expected that students will also develop greater independence and confidence in home and community activities that require the use of vision.
The objective of this project is to create richer tactile aids by using materials chemistry to create tactile sensations in tactile aids, as an alternative to traditional physical bumps, lines, or textures. These materials are commonly used in household products, but have not yet been used to enrich tactile aids. Successful outcomes are primarily the accuracy with which low vision or blind subjects identify objects made from tactile coatings versus traditional tactile aids. Other outcomes include time to completion of the task, or the number of distinctive categories that participants can identify.
At-home testing is an important part of mitigating the spread of COVID-19, but these tests are not accessible to people with low vision or blindness. Instead of adapting to a technology originally built for sighted people, investigators propose a no-power version that reports test results through a texture change, which people can feel by touch. This platform could be used not only for COVID, but also for other diagnostics, and will promote the independence and privacy for people with low vision or blindness by removing the need for human assistance or an internet connection.