Artificial vision: the effectiveness of the OrCam in patients with advanced inherited retinal dystrophies

Abstract

Purpose To investigate the impact of the OrCam MyEye 2.0 (OrCam) on the quality of life and rehabilitation needs in patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or cone‐rod dystrophies (CRD). The OrCam is a wearable low‐vision aid that converts visual information to auditive feedback (e.g. text‐to‐speech, barcode and facial recognition). Methods Patients with a clinical diagnosis of RP (n = 9, 45%) or CRD (n = 11; 55%), and a best‐corrected visual acuity of ≤20/400 Snellen were invited to participate in this study. Questionnaires were administered at baseline and after 5.2 (standard deviation ± 1.5) weeks, which included the Dutch version of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI‐VFQ), the Participation and Activity Inventory (PAI) and the OrCam Function Questionnaire (OFQ). Results Following OrCam testing, significant improvements were observed in the ‘near activities’ subscale of the NEI‐VFQ (p < 0.001); the ‘visual functioning’ subscale of the re‐engineered NEI‐VFQ (p = 0.001); the ‘reading’ rehabilitation goal of the PAI (p = 0.005) and the overall score of the OFQ (p < 0.001). The observed changes in questionnaire scores did not differ between phenotypes. Advantages and limitations of the OrCam were reported by patients. Three patients (15%) continued rehabilitation with the OrCam after completion of this study. Conclusions The OrCam mainly improves reading domains in patients with advanced stages of RP or CRD. Further improvements in the OrCam are needed to address current limitations, which may enhance its utility for patients with RP or CRD.

Smart Devices in Optometry: Current and Future Perspectives to Clinical Optometry

“…Orcam is a spectacle mounted assistive device that consists of a small camera based on Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology that converts scanned images to text or voice output which is communicated to the user through an ear bud. 91 …”

“…After using Orcam, there was a significant improvement in (i) near vision tasks scores in NEI-VFQ (p < 0.001), (ii) overall vision function score (re-engineered NEI-VFQ), (iii) reading ability in PAI, and (iv) overall quality of life score in OFQ. 91 …”

Retinitis Pigmentosa: Current Clinical Management and Emerging Therapies

“…Without rehabilitation, patients with visual impairment may have to abandon tasks, for instance, those that require detailed vision, such as reading [ 277 ]. A low-vision aid (LVA) yields improvement in visual performance and encompasses corrective glasses; filtering lenses; optical and non-optical LVAs (e.g., magnifiers, telescopes, reading stands); electronic assistive technologies, such as closed-circuit television, screen readers; and, more recently, portable electronic devices (e.g., Orcam or eSight) [ 278 , 279 , 280 ]. The efficacy of LVAs is demonstrated by improvements in reading speed and acuity in clinical studies, although knowledge on other important factors, such as the subjective preference and cost of LVAs, can also play an considerable role in the recommendation of these devices [ 277 ].…”

Design of Low Vision Electronic Glasses with Image Processing Capabilities Using Raspberry Pi

“…The approach for building low-vision aids that especially focuses on mobility and navigation is mostly represented in the form of smart canes that can offer users audible feedback, such as WeWalk [5]. By using object recognition technology and acoustic feedback, other more portable and adaptable devices are developed, for instance, OrCam [6]. Devices that employ audio feedback are not always an option, despite the fact that they can be useful in some circumstances.…”