Purpose-To survey the viewing experience (e.g. hours watched, difficulty) and viewing metrics (e.g. distance viewed, display size) for television (TV), computers and portable visual display devices for normally-sighted (NS) and visually impaired participants. This information may guide visual rehabilitation.Methods-Survey was administered either in person or in a telephone interview on 223 participants of whom 104 had low vision (LV, worse than 6/18, age 22 to 90y, 54 males), and 94 were NS (visual acuity 6/9 or better, age 20 to 86y, 50 males). Depending on their situation, NS participants answered up to 38 questions and LV participants answered up to a further 10 questions.Results-Many LV participants reported at least "some" difficulty watching TV (71/103), reported at least "often" having difficulty with computer displays (40/76) and extreme difficulty watching videos on handheld devices (11/16). The average daily TV viewing was slightly, but not significantly, higher for the LV participants (3.6h) than the NS (3.0h). Only 18% of LV participants used visual aids (all optical) to watch TV. Most LV participants obtained effective magnification from a reduced viewing distance for both TV and computer display. Younger LV participants also used a larger display when compared to older LV participants to obtain increased magnification. About half of the TV viewing time occurred in the absence of a companion for both the LV and the NS participants. The mean number of TVs at home reported by LV participants (2.2) was slightly but not significantly (p=0.09) higher than NS participants (2.0). LV participants were equally likely to have a computer but were significantly (p=0.004) less likely to access the internet (73/104) compared to NS participants (82/94). Most LV participants expressed an interest in image enhancing technology for TV viewing (67/104) and for computer use (50/74), if they used a computer.Conclusion-In this study, both NS and LV participants had comparable video viewing habits. Most LV participants in our sample reported difficulty watching TV, and indicated an interest in assistive technology, such as image enhancement. As our participants reported that at least half their video viewing hours are spent alone and that there is usually more than one TV per household, this suggests that there are opportunities to use image enhancement on the TVs of LV viewers without interfering with the viewing experience of NS viewers.
Purpose Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among Americans over the age of 65. Currently, no effective treatment can reverse the central vision loss associated with most AMD. Digital image-processing techniques have been developed to improve image visibility for peripheral vision; however, both the selection and efficacy of such methods are limited. Progress has been difficult for two reasons: the exact nature of image enhancement that might benefit peripheral vision is not well understood, and efficient methods for testing such techniques have been elusive. The current study aims to develop both an effective image-enhancement technique for peripheral vision and an efficient means for validating the technique. Methods We used a novel contour detection algorithm to locate shape-defining edges in images based on natural-image statistics. We then enhanced the scene by locally boosting the luminance contrast along such contours. Using a gaze-contingent display, we simulated central visual field loss in normally-sighted young (ages 18–30) and older adults (ages 58–88). Visual search performance was measured as a function of contour enhancement strength ("Original" (unenhanced), "Medium", and "High"). For preference task, a separate group of subjects judged which image in a pair "would lead to better search performance". Results We found that while contour enhancement had no significant effect on search time and accuracy in young adults, Medium enhancement resulted in significantly shorter search time in older adults (~13% reduction relative to Original). Both age groups preferred images with Medium enhancement over Original (2 to 7 times). Furthermore, across age groups, image content types and enhancement strengths, there was a robust correlation between preference and performance. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate a beneficial role of contour enhancement in peripheral vision for older adults. Our findings further suggest that task-specific preference judgments can be an efficient surrogate for performance testing.
PURPOSE To determine whether image enhancement improves visual search performance and whether enhanced images were also preferred by subjects with vision impairment. METHOD Subjects (n=24) with vision impairment (vision: 20/52 to 20/240) completed visual search and preference tasks for 150 static images that were enhanced to increase object contours’ visual saliency. Subjects were divided into two groups and were shown three enhancement levels. Original and Medium enhancement were shown to both groups. High enhancement was shown to Group 1 and Low was shown to Group 2. For search, subjects pointed to an object that matched a search target displayed at the top left of the screen. An “integrated search performance” measure (area under the curve of cumulative correct response rate over search time) quantified performance. For preference, subjects indicated the preferred side when viewing the same image with different enhancement levels on side-by-side HDTVs. RESULTS Contour enhancement did not improve performance in the visual search task. Group 1 subjects significantly (p<0.001) rejected the High enhancement, and showed no preference for Medium enhancement over the Original images. Group 2 subjects significantly preferred (p<0.001) both the Medium and the Low enhancement levels over Original. Contrast sensitivity was correlated with both preference and performance; subjects with worse contrast sensitivity performed worse in the search task (ρ=0.77, p<0.001) and preferred more enhancement (ρ=−0.47, p=0.02). No correlation between visual search performance and enhancement preference was found. However, a small group of subjects (n=6) in a narrow range of mid-contrast sensitivity performed better with the enhancement and most (n=5) also preferred the enhancement. CONCLUSIONS Preferences for image enhancement can be dissociated from search performance in people with vision impairment. Further investigations are needed to study the relationships between preference and performance for a narrow range of mid-contrast sensitivity where a beneficial effect of enhancement may exist.
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