An exploration of smartphone use by, and support for people with vision impairment: a scoping review

Tan, Hwei Lan; Aplin, Tammy; McAuliffe, Tomomi; Gullo, Hannah

doi:10.1080/17483107.2022.2092223

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Once the effect of age, severity of vision impairment and employment status was accounted for, users of portable electronic devices and even more so users of smartphones and tablets had a better IADL score than non-users. A scoping review (11) found that smartphones are able to provide several facilities for severely visually impaired people such as: apps to learn Braille; alternative ways of keying on a smartphone in Braille; new navigation and obstacle detection systems for people with visual impairment; systems to improve magnification; apps for making calls easier, and monitoring health. The review concluded that there is a gap in the literature with limited research exploring the soft technology aspects of smartphones and apps, with a need for more training and learning support research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of electronic devices by people attending vision rehabilitation services in Italy: A study based on the device and aids registry (D.A.Re)

Bartolomei,

Costanzo,

Parravano

et al. 2023

European Journal of Ophthalmology

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Purpose To investigate the characteristics of electronic device users, specifically smartphones and tablets, in the Device & Aids Register (D.A.Re), from several low-vision rehabilitation services in Italy. Methods We collected general and clinical information about ocular and systemic diseases, visual function, reading speed and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) questionnaire score. Technological details of each optical and electronic device, (including screen size, touch-screen and OCR functions, text-to-speech function) were also collected. Results 1218 patients (752 females and 466 males) were included in our analysis, mean age 71.5 (±18.8) years. Users of electronic aids (n.237) were slightly younger (67 vs 72 years, p < 0.001) than non-users (n.981), had a worse reading speed (38 vs 65 words/minute), critical print size (43 vs 28 print size, p < 0.001), poorer visual acuity (VA)(1.0 logMAR or less: 30% non-users vs 73% users, p < 0.001) and more commonly visual field restriction within 10° (23% vs 14%, p = 0.001). A similar proportion of users and non-users were retired (about 70%) and about 16–17% were employed. The use of portable electronic devices (5″or less, p < 0.001; 6″ to 18″ screen size, p = 0.017) was associated with better IADL scores, and the use of stand devices with worse IADL score (p < 0.001); Furthermore, using smartphones and tablets (193 subjects) was strongly associated with better IADL scores. Conclusion We found that using electronic devices, and especially smartphone and tablets, were associated with better vision-related quality of life in low-vision people attending rehabilitation services. While this association does not mean causality, these findings seemed robust to confounder adjustment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of electronic devices by people attending vision rehabilitation services in Italy: A study based on the device and aids registry (D.A.Re)

Bartolomei,

Costanzo,

Parravano

et al. 2023

European Journal of Ophthalmology

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“…[1][2][3][4] These studies showed good usability and effectiveness of apps as low vision aids for a variety of tasks including reading. Systematic reviews by Al-Razgan et al 5 and Tan et al 6 explored a large number of studies on assistive technology. In addition, a recent review 7 of all smartphone apps for low vision has identified key gaps in the existing literature.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Factors related to training time and achieving proficiency with visual-assistive mobile applications in visually impaired older adults

Malkin,

Bittner,

et al. 2024

Optom Vis Sci

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SIGNIFICANCE A majority of visually impaired older adults were able to learn to proficiently use visual-assistive iPhone applications (apps) following a median 1 hour and/or multiple training sessions, which should be considered when planning vision rehabilitation service delivery, including the option for remote telerehabilitation for those who prefer that modality. PURPOSE Older adults with low vision are increasingly using technology to improve their visual functioning. We examined whether age-related comorbidities were potential barriers to success in learning to use visual-assistive apps on a smartphone. METHODS A clinical trial assessed visual-assistive apps in 116 older adults aged 55+ years (mean [standard deviation], 72 [10] years). Subjects were randomized to use an app (SuperVision+, Seeing AI, or Aira) preloaded to a loaner iPhone and completed one-on-one training. App proficiency was measured by the participant's ability to use the iPhone/app without cueing at the end of training sessions. Training time was recorded for the initial session and totaled after subsequent sessions. Multiple regression models explored significant factors associated with training time and proficiency. RESULTS Median initial and total training times were 45 and 60 minutes, respectively. Increased initial and total training times were both significantly related to increased age (p<0.001), legal blindness (p<0.007), Seeing AI versus SuperVision+ app (p<0.03), and participants from New England versus California (p<0.001). Most (71%) achieved proficiency after the initial training session; those odds were significantly greater among younger participants (p=0.04), those who opted for telerehabilitation (p=0.03), those who had higher cognitive scores (p=0.04), or those who were from New England (p=0.04). The majority (90%) was ultimately proficient with the app; those odds were significantly greater among participants who already had an optical magnifier (p=0.008), but were unrelated to other factors including study site. CONCLUSIONS Following multiple, extensive training sessions, age, mild cognitive loss, or level of visual impairment did not preclude gaining proficiency with visual-assistive apps by visually impaired seniors, but those factors were associated with longer training times. Telerehabilitation can be a viable option to provide app training remotely for visually impaired seniors who choose that modality.

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SLAM for Visually Impaired People: A Survey

Bamdad,

Scaramuzza,

Darvishy

2024

IEEE Access

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An exploration of smartphone use by, and support for people with vision impairment: a scoping review

Cited by 6 publications

References 78 publications

Use of electronic devices by people attending vision rehabilitation services in Italy: A study based on the device and aids registry (D.A.Re)

Use of electronic devices by people attending vision rehabilitation services in Italy: A study based on the device and aids registry (D.A.Re)

Factors related to training time and achieving proficiency with visual-assistive mobile applications in visually impaired older adults

SLAM for Visually Impaired People: A Survey

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