Abstract
Purpose :
Seniors with low vision underutilize mobile applications (apps) for visual assistance despite their use of smartphones and/or tablet devices. Mobile apps can be a low cost, accessible form of visual assistive equipment for this population, but training is indicated for most to learn to use such apps. We explored which low vision subjects were proficient with these technologies following training.
Methods :
50 adults aged 55+ (mean 72 years; SD ±10; range 55-92) with low vision (VA 20/40-20/800 or legally blind due to visual field) who were naïve to three visual assistive apps (SuperVision+, Seeing AI, Aira) were randomized to receive one-on-one training with one app on a loaner iPhone SE as part of the Community Access through Remote Eyesight (CARE) clinical trial. Subjects’ proficiency with the smartphone and app was assessed by the study team after the 1st training session and again at 2-weeks. Multivariable logistic regressions examined potential predictors of app proficiency at the end of the 1st and 2nd sessions. Subjects’ race was primarily white (64%), 44% were female, most had macular degeneration (30%) and their own smartphone (84%).
Results :
Mean training time was 0.95 hours (SD± 0.44) for the 1st session and 0.43 hours (SD± 0.81) for the 2nd. 48% of subjects were not proficient at the end of the 1st training session, while 39% still lacked proficiency at 2-weeks. Age was a significant predictor of app proficiency, as older subjects were significantly less likely to be proficient after training one (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85-0.99, p=0.02) and training two (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: .77-.98, p=0.02). Other factors (binocular logMAR visual acuity, randomized app, and duration of the training session) were not significantly related to app proficiency (all p>0.10).
Conclusions :
Many older adults with low vision required multiple, lengthy training sessions to become adept at using a new visual assistive app. This suggests that those working in low vision rehabilitation may need to plan for several visits to enable this population to become successful with smartphone apps, especially for the oldest patients.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.