Beacon Sensors and Telerehabilitation to Assess and Improve Use of Devices (BeST-AID) for Low Vision

Inclusion criteria

• adults with any level of vision loss due to any ocular disease who are age 18 and older, and who have received new magnification device(s) for the first time (i.e., hand-held optical magnifiers, portable electronic video magnifiers, high near add powers of +4.00 or greater, visual assistive mobile apps for their smartphone/tablet, some stand magnifiers and CCTVs) from one of our participating low vision rehabilitation sites at the four academic centers and one private practice.

Exclusion criteria

• schedules not permitting participation in planned study visits (including planning to move far from their clinical provider's office within the first 4-months of the study (i.e., cannot attend in-office visits) or take extended vacation that would not allow them to complete study procedures during the first four months of the study period),
• inability to understand study procedures or communicate responses to visual stimuli in a consistent manner (greater than mild cognitive impairment as per TICS),
• substance abuse,
• significant hearing loss (unable to hear communication by phone or via videoconferencing),
• significant medical condition likely to limit participation or lifespan,
• individuals who require other types of LVR training or intervention (e.g., psychosocial).
• For Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors, exclusion would occur if their magnifier device has features that would not work in conjunction with the beacon sensors: (1) hands-free and do not have a place where the patient's hand is holding the device during use (therefore, they would not register a significant change in temperature), (2) no surface area of at least 1"x1" to which the beacon sensor could be attached without interfering with the device, or (3) use of visual assistive mobile apps only.