Pilot Study Assessing the Safety and Acceptance of a Novel Virtual Reality System to Improve Visual Function

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To assess the feasibility of the clinical use of a novel Virtual Reality (VR) training software designed to be used for active vision therapy in amblyopic patients by determining its preliminary safety and acceptance on the visual function of healthy adults.

Methods

Pilot study enrolling 10 individuals (3 men, 7 women, mean age: 31.8 ± 6.5 years) with a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of ≥ .90 (decimal) in both eyes were evaluated before and after 20 minutes of exposure to the NEIVATECH VR system using the HTC Vive Pro Eye head mounted display. Visual function assessment included near (40 cm) and distance (6 m) cover test (CT), stereopsis, binocular accommodative facility (BAF), near point of convergence (NPC), near point of accommodation (NPA), accommodative-convergence over accommodation (AC/A) ratio and positive and negative fusional vergences. Safety was assessed using the VR Sickness Questionnaire (VRSQ) and acceptance using the Technology Acceptance Model ;(TAM). Changes in all these variables after VR exposure were analyzed.

Results

Short-term exposure to the NEIVATECH VR system only induced statistically significant changes in distance phoria (p = .016), but these changes were not clinically relevant. No significant changes were observed in VRSQ oculo-motricity and disorientation scores after exposure (p = .197 and .317, respectively). TAM scores showed a good acceptance of the system in terms of perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use, although some concerns were raised in relation to the intention-to-use domain.

Conclusion

Exposure to the NEIVATECH VR system does not seem to adversely affect the visual function in healthy adults and its safety and acceptance profile seems to be adequate for supporting its potential use in other populations, such as amblyopic patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Accommodation
• convergence
• head mounted display
• phoria
• simulator sickness
• virtual reality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author bio

David P. Piñero, PhD

Group of Optics and Visual Perception, Department of Optics, Pharmacology and Anatomy, University of Alicante 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain;

Clinical Optometry Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Vithas Medimar International 03016 Alicante, Spain.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) of the Spanish Ministry of Science in the framework of the NEIVATECH project [Ref.: IDI-20181232]. The funder had no role in study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.