June 2013
Volume 54, Issue 15
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2013
Developing a Rehabilitation Curriculum for Argus® II System Users
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Jessy Dorn
    Second Sight Medical Products Inc, Sylmar, CA
  • Duane Geruschat
    Salus University, Elkins Park, PA
    Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
  • Fatima Anaflous
    Second Sight Medical Products Inc, Sylmar, CA
  • Robert Greenberg
    Second Sight Medical Products Inc, Sylmar, CA
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships Jessy Dorn, Second Sight Medical Products (E); Duane Geruschat, second sight medical products (F); Fatima Anaflous, Second Sight Medical products (E); Robert Greenberg, Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (I), Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (E), Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (P), Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. (S)
  • Footnotes
    Support None
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2013, Vol.54, 1052. doi:
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      Jessy Dorn, Duane Geruschat, Fatima Anaflous, Robert Greenberg; Developing a Rehabilitation Curriculum for Argus® II System Users. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2013;54(15):1052.

      Download citation file:


      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to develop an instructional curriculum for Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System patients who have undergone successful implantation of the system in a commercial setting. In the clinical trial that supported approval of Argus II for commercial use in Europe, variability in functional outcomes was observed between subjects. Some of this variability was attributed to differences in subjects’ ability to integrate the input of the technology into their lives. We developed an instructional curriculum specifically designed to teach patients the foundational skills that are required to maximize the benefits of the Argus II technology.

Methods: During the clinical trial, we evaluated Argus II subjects’ functional vision with and without the system in real-world tasks. Based upon these experiences, we identified critical skills needed to successfully integrate the Argus II into users’ everyday lives within the context of the foundational blindness skills they already possess. Some of these skills are similar to other low vision rehabilitation techniques and some are unique to prosthetic vision. We then developed a curriculum and instructional kit to teach these skills and techniques to new patients.

Results: These experiences resulted in a curriculum that serves as a guide for the therapists who are providing the rehabilitation services and an instructional kit that provides standardized training tools. The curriculum follows commonly accepted low vision rehabilitation principles of visual skill acquisition by isolating skills, using materials that are designed to support the development of these skills, and finally strategies for implementing the technology into the homes and lifestyles of the patient. For example, patients and caregivers will learn the importance of illumination and contrast, how and why to modify the home environment to maximize visibility, how to effectively use the Argus II System’s different image processing filters for different environments, and what types of activities can be practiced at home.

Conclusions: The purpose of this work is to support patients so they can maximize the benefit of the Argus II System. We believe that applying standard low vision rehabilitation principles to the development of visual skills with the Argus II System will offer the best opportunity for patients to optimize the benefits from this technology.

Keywords: 688 retina • 584 low vision  
×
×

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

Sign in or purchase a subscription to access this content. ×

You must be signed into an individual account to use this feature.

×