Feasibility Test of Virtual Reality Obstacle Detection for Low Vision Walking

NCT05141604 | Active Not Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 2021P003330R01EY031777
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 15
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The investigators are developing a new test of pedestrian hazard detection in virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display (HMD) headset, which shows virtual oncoming pedestrians in 3D while subjects are walking in real-world environment, for evaluation of visual field expansion to improve mobility in people with visual field loss.

Conditions

Hemianopsia; Homonymous Hemianopia; Tunnel Vision; Visual Field Defect, Peripheral; Visual Field Constriction Bilateral; Visual Field Defect Homonymous Bilateral

Keywords

walking; collision; field expansion; visual field loss

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Response time

  During the pedestrian detection task, average response time to the colliding pedestrian with and without prisms

  Through study completion, an average of four months

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Head movement range

  Through study completion, an average of four months

• Walking speed

  Through study completion, an average of four months

• Pedestrian detection rate

  Through study completion, an average of four months

• Error rate

  Through study completion, an average of four months

Study Arms (1)

Field expansion view

EXPERIMENTAL

Various configurations of field expansion views will be additionally displayed on HMD

Other: Field expansion view

Interventions

Field expansion view OTHER

Overlaid small window on HMD to show the part of the scene in the blind field into portions of the participants' remaining, seeing, field of vision

Field expansion view

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• At least 14 years of age (no upper age limit)
• In sufficiently good health to be able to complete sessions lasting 2-3 hours
• Able to understand English
• Able to give voluntary, informed consent
• Able to independently move short distances
• Binocular vision parameters within normal limits (Stereopsis ≤ 100 arc sec on any stereo test)
• Visual field loss, either peripheral field loss (\<30 degrees diameter) or hemianopic field loss (blind in half of visual field)
• Better than 20/100 visual acuity in the worse eye

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with any self-reported physical or mental disabilities, including cognitive dysfunction, balance problems, or other deficits that could impair their ability to respond to the stimuli presented in this study
• Any person with a self-reported medical history (such as pacemaker use or photosensitive epilepsy) or physical condition listed on the device manual of the Oculus / HMD system used for the experiment as a contraindication
• Any self-reported history of seizures (any type) in the last 6 months

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary: lead
• National Eye Institute (NEI): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Schepens Eye Research Institute

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hemianopsia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Vision Disorders; Sensation Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Blindness; Eye Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Eli Peli, OD, MSc

  Senior Scientist

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Scientist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 19, 2021
• First Posted: December 2, 2021
• Study Start: May 17, 2022
• Primary Completion: March 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Last Updated: October 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)