Beacon Sensors and Telerehabilitation to Assess and Improve Use of Devices (BeST-AID) for Low Vision

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorUniversity of California, Los Angeles

About this trial

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.

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

adults with any level of vision loss due to any ocular disease who are age 18 and older, and who have received new magnification device(s) for the first time (i.e., hand-held optical magnifiers, portable electronic video magnifiers, high near add powers of +4.00 or greater, visual assistive mobile apps for their smartphone/tablet, some stand magnifiers and CCTVs) from one of our participating low vision rehabilitation sites at the four academic centers and one private practice.

Disqualifiers

schedules not permitting participation in planned study visits (including planning to move far from their clinical provider's office within the first 4-months of the study (i.e., cannot attend in-office visits) or take extended vacation that would not allow them to complete study procedures during the first four months of the study period),

inability to understand study procedures or communicate responses to visual stimuli in a consistent manner (greater than mild cognitive impairment as per TICS),

substance abuse,

significant hearing loss (unable to hear communication by phone or via videoconferencing),

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Low Vision Rehabilitation

Treatment groups

350 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups

Sponsors and collaborators

University of California, Los Angeles

Lead sponsor

University of Nebraska

Collaborator

New England College of Optometry

Collaborator

Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University

Collaborator

Mid-Michigan Eye Care

Collaborator