The main goal of this study was to evaluate a communication assistance device (CAD) for individuals with deafblindness, based on a braille display notetaker connected via Bluetooth to an iPhone. This study examined the use of this device by a 61-year-old woman living with Usher syndrome with sighted and hearing interlocutors during three restaurant outings.The study had three specific objectives: 1) To evaluate the participant's and her interlocutors' perceptions of their productivity in the communication interaction in real-life situations, without and with the CAD; 2) To evaluate the participant's emotional experience after using the CAD; and 3) To describe how the communication interactions between the participant and her interlocutors work, without and with the CAD. The relevance, utility and interest of such a communication support technology became clearly apparent, along with the enthusiasm it aroused in her interlocutors. Despite the empowerment it provided, the huge differences in some aspects of interactions made without and with the CAD suggest that the constraints introduced by the use of a CAD modify the nature of communication. Four recommendations are made. Any future development of the technology intended for users with minimal experience working with computers and electronic devices should be encouraged.

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to investigate the telescope use behaviors in natural daily driving of people with reduced visual acuity licensed to drive with a bioptic (a small spectacle-mounted telescope). Methods:A large dataset (477 hours) of naturalistic driving was collected from 19 bioptic drivers (visual acuity 20/60 to 20/160 without the telescope). To reduce the data volume, a multiloss 50-layer deep residual neural network (ResNet-50) was used to detect potential bioptic telescope use events. Then, a total of 120 hours of selected video clips were reviewed and annotated in detail. Results:The frequency of looking through their telescopes ranged from 4 to 308 times per hour (median: 27, interquartile range [IQR], 19-75), with each bioptic use lasting median 1.4 seconds (IQR, 1.2-1.8). Thus, participants spent only 1.6% (IQR, 0.7%-3.5%) driving time with their telescopes aiding their vision. Bioptic telescopes were used most often for checking the road ahead (84.8%), followed by looking at traffic lights (5.3%), and reading road signs (4.6%). Conclusions:In daily driving, the bioptic drivers mostly (>98% of driving time) drove under low visual acuity conditions. The bioptic telescope was mainly used for observing road and traffic conditions in the distance for situational awareness. Only a small portion of usage was for road sign reading. Translational Relevance:This study provides new insights into how the vision rehabilitation device-bioptic telescopes are used in daily driving. The findings may be helpful for designing bioptic driving training programs.

Abstract. This paper describes a study that compares the results of usability testing of mobile interfaces based on three different evaluation approaches: (i) using a computer-based mobile phone emulator inside the laboratory (ii) using a mobile phone inside the laboratory (iii) using a mobile phone linked to a wireless camera in the field. The results regarding user performance and usability problem identification showed the existence of more similarities than significant differences between the results of the three evaluation contexts. Moreover, in the simplest evaluation context of the emulator it was possible to identify a large percentage of the overall set of usability problems found.

The purpose of this study was to develop a French Canadian questionnaire for the detection of Charles Bonnet syndrome that allows for (i) valid screening and (ii) the examination of different dimensions of the client's visual hallucinations in order to better assess the resulting needs. Method: Questionnaire development was guided by interviews with visually impaired individuals experiencing visual hallucinations, as well as supported by scientific literature and expert experience. A clinical study involving 76 individuals with low vision was conducted to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the instrument according to criterion validation. Results: Of the 54 closed-ended questions, a subset of 11 revealed a sensitivity of 1.00 and a specificity of 0.77. Two additional questions showed high discriminating potential. Improvements to the wording and structure of some questions aiming at needs assessment were identified and applied. The improved version consists of 55 questions grouped in 8 dimensions: (1) Screening;(2) Characteristics of hallucinations; (3) Psychological impact; (4) Psychopathological origin; (5) Coping strategies; (6) Context of appearance of hallucinations; (7) Time-related matters; (8) Psychosocial support. The screening is operationalized through an algorithm applied to the set of 13 questions. Conclusion:The questionnaire will be a valuable aid in screening for Charles Bonnet syndrome among the low vision clientele. However, the screening will need to be supplemented by a focused low vision interdisciplinary assessment including a visual examination and a clinical interview with a psychologist.

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