Vision Loss Impact on Navigation in Virtual Reality

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · Sep 18, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Vision Loss Impact on Navigation in Virtual Reality," is studying how vision loss from strokes affects a person's ability to drive. Researchers want to understand how people with certain types of vision loss, called cortically-induced blindness, adapt their driving skills in different situations. To do this, they will use a special Virtual Reality (VR) program to simulate driving experiences and observe how participants steer and respond to their surroundings. The aim is to learn about any changes in how these individuals process visual information while driving.

To participate, individuals need to be between the ages of 21 and 75 and either have a history of vision loss due to a stroke or have normal vision. Those with vision loss must have specific visual field defects confirmed by eye tests, while control participants should have normal vision without any eye diseases. All participants should be able to understand instructions in English and provide informed consent. Throughout the trial, participants will engage in VR driving simulations, allowing researchers to gather valuable data on how vision influences driving behavior. This study is currently recruiting participants, and being part of it could contribute to better understanding and treatment options for those affected by vision loss.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Cortically Blind Group:
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Residents of the United States or Canada
• • Presence of one-sided stroke or stroke-like damage to primary visual cortex or its immediate afferent white matter sustained within the specified age range of 21 - 75 years (verified by MRI and/or CT scans)
• • Reliable visual field defects in both eyes (homonymous defects) as measured by Humphrey or equivalent perimetry.
• • Willing, able, and competent to provide their own informed consent
• • Cognitively able, responsible to understand written and oral instructions in English
• • Emmetropic or else wear corrective contact lenses inside the virtual reality headset
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Those who have never driven or earned a drivers' license
• • Past or present ocular disease interfering with visual acuity
• • Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) worse than 20/40 in either eye
• • Sustained damage to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus
• • Presence of diffuse, whole-brain degenerative processes
• • Presence of brain damage deemed by study staff to potentially interfere with outcome measures
• • History of traumatic brain injury
• • Documented history of drug/alcohol abuse
• • Diagnosis of cognitive or seizure disorders
• • Diagnosis of one-sided attentional neglect
• Control Group:
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, who are between the ages of 21 and 75 years of age, roughly matched to the age of CB subjects enrolled above
• • Competent and responsible, as determined by the Principal Investigator
• • Willing, able, and competent to provide their own informed consent
• • Normal cognitive abilities, be able to understand written and oral instructions in English
• • Emmetropic or else wear corrective contact lenses inside the virtual reality headset
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Subjects who have never driven or earned a drivers' license
• • BCVA worse than 20/40 in either eye
• • Presence of vision loss from ocular diseases or disorders
• • Presence of a visual field defect
• • Inability to wear corrective contact lenses inside the virtual reality helmet if required to see clearly
• • Subjects with a history of neurological disorders
• • Subjects with a history of TBI
• • Persons who lack the competence or are otherwise unable to perform the visual testing as directed.