Effectiveness of applying virtual reality headset and smartphone on enhancement of the remaining vision in people with visual impairment

The ability to see for people who have visual impairment is not always completely deteriorated. Indeed, enhancing the remaining vision boosts the quality of their life meanwhile they become more independent. In recent years, the application of visual augmentation tools has been considered by many researchers working on methods to increase the visual acuity status. However, the available smart glasses are low in diversity and are relatively difficult to access due to their high price. The objective of many scientific projects is to replace expensive smart glasses with more cost-effective tools. In this regard, we have designed experiments to evaluate   virtual reality headsets and smartphones’ effectiveness to enhance remaining vision.

In this case, a virtual reality headset is used as glasses, and a smartphone functions as the display, as well as the processor.  Proprietary graphics software is developed by applying Unity libraries under the Android operating system to design the experiments. Three experiments were designed regarding the importance of the object and motion detection in   partially sighted people’s independent mobility. The mentioned experiments   recognized the number of objects, including five cylindrical columns, distinguishing the type of objects, including a circle and a square, and sensing the motion of objects, including a moving square. The key point in designing the experiments is that simple shapes and black and white images are used. Individuals’ responses are recorded quantitatively 1, 0.5, and 0, representing totally correct, semi-correct, and totally wrong responses, respectively. In addition, a questionnaire is designed based on light and motion perception, as well as Daily Living Tasks Dependent on Vision (DLTV). The questionnaire is not only used to evaluate the quality of the remaining vision but also to identify the problems and needs concerning visually impaired people. There were four women and five men varied in age ranging from 34 to 79 participating in the   study voluntarily. All the interviews were conducted face to face and unstructured. The participants were convenience samples of the Blind Society of Dezful city located in Khuzestan province. It is worth mentioning that all participants willingly consented to take part in experiments and interviews. Moreover, the names of the participants are not disclosed in public.

The results revealed that 72%, 78%, and 83% of the participants successfully recognized the number, type, and motion of objects, respectively. In general, participants discovered light and motion in 89% of all experiments. The interview findings revealed the extent of the visually impaired people’s ability to carry out daily living tasks and identify their primary and fundamental problems.

Despite the low remaining vision, the majority of individuals participating in this study had a minimal perception of light and motion. Findings showed that simplifying objects and displaying white objects in a black background significantly impacted  increasing visual capabilities and enhancing the vision of visually impaired people. Finally, due to the availability and low cost of virtual reality headsets and smartphones, this study’s findings draw a clear perspective on the rehabilitation of partially sighted people.