Augmented Reality Mobile Application for Glaucoma Education in the South Bronx

Abstract

Purpose : A novel augmented reality mobile application for glaucoma education named EyeCU previously validated in an Asian population was adapted for our South Bronx population. We performed a prospective study to evaluate the impact of EyeCU on patient knowledge and to assess patient perceptions of this technology.

Methods : Thirty-one participants > 18 years old with a diagnosis of glaucoma on medical therapy for at least 4 months used EyeCU on a hospital-owned tablet during their clinic visit. Exclusion criteria included those with a non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy, visual acuity of 20/100 or worse in both eyes, visual field defects impairing fixation in both eyes, inability to use a tablet and inability to understand English or Spanish. Participant characteristic data was collected, and pre- and post-intervention National Eye Health Education Program Eye-Q tests were administered. Self-reported understanding was evaluated and a 5-point Likert scale (1 being “not at all” and 5 being “extremely likely”) assessed application acceptance. Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney test and two-tailed Student’s t-test were used.

Results : The median test score was 70% for pre- and post-intervention groups (p=0.84). The three worst pre-intervention questions were “eye pain is often a symptom of glaucoma” (52% correct), “glaucoma is caused by increased eye pressure” (3% correct) and “a complete glaucoma exam consists only of measuring eye pressure” (42% correct). The pre-intervention median test score was 70% and 60% in those preferring English and Spanish respectively (p=0.002). The post-intervention mean test score was 72% and 61% in those preferring English and Spanish respectively (p=0.02). Those preferring English had higher educational attainment than their Spanish counterparts (p=0.002). 97% of participants reported improved understanding of glaucoma and the purpose of eye drops. The mean score for willingness to use this technology for health education and to recommend this technology to others was 4.2 and 4.4 respectively.

Conclusions : The current version of EyeCU did not demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in objective glaucoma knowledge. However, there was a high level of acceptance of the technology and subjective reporting of improved knowledge. Efficacy may be improved through targeted modifications of the application based on knowledge gaps and discrepancies between English and Spanish speakers.

This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.