Effectiveness of a Multi-disciplinary Vision Rehabilitation Programme in Improving the Overall Quality of Life of Visually Impaired Adults

NCT07827040 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: P0056196
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This trial compares multidisciplinary vision rehabilitation and vision rehabilitation services to determine which service works better at improving overall quality of life for adults with visual impairment. Before receiving the intervention, participants will complete baseline measurements, including an eye examination, cognitive and hearing screenings, mobility and balance assessments, questionnaires on basic demographics and health, and a home environment assessment. This randomised controlled trial includes three arms: 1) control-waitlist (wait for 3 months before joining either intervention arm), 2) vision rehabilitation with low vision training only, and 3) multidisciplinary vision rehabilitation arm. The intervention period lasts for eight weeks, comprising of four on-site training sessions.

• During the intervention period, all participants will receive low-vision training on the use of advanced assistive technology.
• Those in the multidisciplinary group will also receive counselling, exercise training, and home assessment with home modifications (if needed).

Conditions

Visual Impairments; Low Vision Digital Assistance; Adults

Keywords

low vision; advanced assistive technology; vision rehabilitation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• General-health related quality of life

  General health related quality of life will be measured using the Hong Kong version of the EuroQoL 5-Dimension instrument 5-level (EQ-5D-5L-HK). Five aspects will be meausred including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomport, anxiety/depression. A scale of 1 to 5 will be rated. The participant will also be asked to give an overall score for their health at the time of measurement, which is out of 100, 0 means poorest

  Changes in the measurement at Baseline and within one month after the completion of an eight-week intervention.

• Vision-related quality of life

  Vision-related quality of life will be measured by the Low Vision Visual Functioning Questionnaire 48 (LV VFQ-48). The LV VFQ48 was translated into Traditional Chinese. LV VFQ-48 measures the difficulties in performing daily activities.

  Changes in the measurement at Baseline and within one month after the completion of an eight-week intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Visual function

  Changes in the measurement at Baseline and within one month after the completion of an eight-week intervention.

• Level of hope (psychological wellbeing)

  Changes from baseline and within one month after the completion of an eight-week intervention.

• Depression severity (psychological wellbeing)

  Changes in the measurement at Baseline and within one month after the completion of an eight-week intervention.

• Anxiety severity (Psychological wellbeing)

  Changes in the measurement at Baseline and within one month after the completion of an eight-week intervention.

• Balance and mobility functions

  Changes in measurement from Baseline to within one month after the completion of an eight-week intervention programme.

Other Outcomes (4)

• fall incidence

  This outcome will be collected at baseline, within one month after completion of intervention, 3-month post intervention, 6-month post intervention, 9-month post intervention and 12-month post intervention.

• advanced assistive technology adoption rate

  The measurement will be taken at baseline.

• advanced assistive technology continuation rate

  Outcome measurement collected at 3 months post intervention, 6 month post intervention, and 12 month post intervention.

Study Arms (3)

Control waitlist

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will wait for 3 months before receiving intervention

Vision rehabilitation arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants assigned to the Vision rehabilitation arm will only receive the low vision training on the use of advanced assistive technology. Group-based training will be provided.

Other: Vision rehabilitation incorporating low vision training only

Multidisciplinary vision rehabilitation

EXPERIMENTAL

Multidisciplinary vision rehabilitation includes group-based low-vision training, group-based solution-focused therapy, group-based exercise training, and home assessment with home modification (if needed).

Other: Multidisciplinary vision rehabilitaion

Interventions

Vision rehabilitation incorporating low vision training only OTHER

This intervention includes providing vision rehabilitation that incorporates advanced assistive technology to support daily living. The intervention lasts for eight weeks, which includes four on-site training sessions (1 hour each). The group-based training includes an introduction to operating smart glasses and AI assistant applications on mobile devices, and offers scenario-based training on utilising these advanced assistive technologies to perform daily activities.

Vision rehabilitation arm

Multidisciplinary vision rehabilitaion OTHER

A holistic approach to provide vision rehabilitation services, including low vision training incorporating advanced assistive technology, home-based exercise training, counselling and home assessment with home modification. The intervention lasts for eight weeks. On-site, group-based training sessions are provided for low vision training (1 hour), exercise training (1 hour), and solution-focused therapy (1.5 hours). Low vision training components are identical to the components received in the vision rehabilitation (low vision component) arm. Exercise training focuses on strengthening lower-limb muscles designed to reduce risk of falls. Solution-focused therapy focuses on helping participants build solutions to visual impairment problems and facilitate their development of preferred futures. Participants will receive minor home modifications, if needed, after the home assessment.

Multidisciplinary vision rehabilitation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 18 and 80 years
• Community-dwelling in Hong Kong
• Cantonese Speaker
• Clinical diagnosis of low vision (best-corrected visual acuity \<6/18; and/or field loss of \< 20 degree)
• Stable ocular condition for ≥ 3 months
• Owns a smartphone
• Not currently participating in any vision rehabilitation programme
• Willing to participate and commit for at least 6 months to 12 months
• Provides informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Living in a nursing home/ institutionalized
• Self-reported severe cognitive impairment or HK-MoCA-VI cut off score of 12
• Self-reported severe hearing impairment
• Uncontrolled systemic ocular diseases/ neurological or psychiatric conditions
• Immobility caused by physical impairment
• Refuse to provide written informed consent
• Participating in another vision rehabilitation programme during the trial period

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lead
• Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

School of Optometry, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Kowloon, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Vision Disorders; Vision, Low

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Officials

• Ming-Yan Allen Cheong, PhD

  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Ming-Yan Allen Cheong, PhD

CONTACT

+852 2766 6108; allen.my.cheong@polyu.edu.hk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 12, 2026
• First Posted: September 18, 2026
• Study Start: September 29, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 30, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2029
• Last Updated: September 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

HK (1)