Jeebika Dahal
Surveying user experience with a novel head-mounted visual field perimeterBackground:
Mentor: Brain Stagg, MD
Department: Moran Eye Center
Visual field (VF) testing is a clinically relevant test used to diagnose and assess various ocular conditions, particularly glaucoma. The traditional practice, like the Humphrey field analyzer (HFA), has been the gold standard, however, it imposes many limitations. It can be expensive, uncomfortable for patients, and inaccessible. Therefore, clinic staff choose virtual reality (VR) head-mounted devices for VF tests. The VR VF headsets provide accessible, efficient, and cost-effective results compared to the HFA. This study will compare two Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registered VR VF testing devices: the Radius XR and the Olleyes VisuALL VR.
Methods:
Patients who completed the VF test on the 24-2 SS HFA within the last 4 months and met the inclusion criteria. Patients will be asked to complete a visual field test in each eye (two total) on the same day, for each of the Radius XR and VisuALL platforms (four total tests). The order in which the tests are administered will be randomized, with approximately half of patients taking the Radius XR test in both eyes first and half taking the Olleyes VisuALL test in both eyes first. After each test, patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire.
Results:
Literature reviews have identified VR VF as providing patients with an immersive and flexible experience as they complete their tests. Multiple studies have shown patients’ positive attitudes toward VR VF.1 Reza et al, report that Olleyes’s VisuALL shows comparable results to HFA. 2 Montelongo et al report that the VisuALL data shows results and duration of the test that is closely related to the traditional HFA perimeter, however, patients indicated they were more comfortable with the VR VF than the HFA. The Ophthalmology Times article concluded that Radius XR is statistically non-inferior in glaucoma staging using the Medicare guidelines to the HFA using mean deviation value, but it did provide greater patient satisfaction. 4
Conclusion:
Through this investigation, we aim to identify the most effective and efficient methods for conducting visual field tests on patients. By integrating virtual reality (VR) technology into clinical practice, we hope to make visual field testing more accessible, enabling earlier detection of glaucoma and other visual pathologies across diverse patient populations.
