A versatile optoelectronic aid for low vision patients.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Vision Science

Background:

• Low vision affects millions, necessitating adaptive assistive technologies.
• Current rehabilitation aids often lack flexibility for diverse visual impairments and progression.
• Reconfigurable hardware offers potential for customizable and real-time visual processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a versatile, reconfigurable hardware-based optoelectronic aid for low vision rehabilitation.
• To demonstrate adaptability to various visual pathologies and impairment progression.
• To evaluate the performance of implemented vision enhancement functionalities.

Main Methods:

• Developed a mobile, see-through head-mounted display platform (Nomad) using reconfigurable hardware (FPGA).
• Implemented and assessed computational costs of various vision enhancement algorithms.
• Evaluated Augmented View and digital zoom functionalities using visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual field tests.

Main Results:

• The Nomad display with Augmented View did not negatively impact residual vision in retinitis pigmentosa patients.
• Digital zoom configuration demonstrated an increase in visual acuity in low vision and normally-sighted subjects.
• The platform efficiently supports diverse image processing tasks for real-time applications.

Conclusions:

• The reconfigurable optoelectronic aid is a versatile platform for low vision rehabilitation.
• The Nomad system offers adaptable solutions for varying visual needs and progression.
• FPGA-based design enables efficient, real-time image processing for enhanced vision.