Simulating Homonymous Hemianopsia for the Care Team

Abstract

Homonymous hemianopsia is a visual impairment that involves the bilateral loss of a complete visual field. While research has been done to ascertain the details of the cause and prognosis of homonymous hemianopsia, an obvious disparity arose in the research on how to educate the supporting care team of a person with homonymous hemianopsia to maximize the creation of educational and rehabilitation plans. This research presents two studies focused on closing that gap by providing an alternative method of understanding. In the initial study, 16 participants with a confirmed caregiver relationship to one or more persons with homonymous hemianopsia were surveyed on their personal knowledge of the visual impairment. These participants were asked to express any visual obstacles they have encountered, and to ascertain the availability of a device or program that could provide an interactive interpretation of how their homonymous hemianopsia patient views their surroundings. Survey results confirmed the need for a program that could easily simulate homonymous hemianopsia for the care provider. An additional usability study was completed by eight of the 16 previous participants on a mobile homonymous hemianopsia simulation application prototype. User tests showed that participants gained a significant increase in understanding of how those with a homonymous hemianopsia visual impairment view the environment. Results confirmed that the mobile simulation application was regarded as easy to use and expected to be utilized often. Additionally, it was discovered that future development could include the simulation of additional visual impairments to assist a greater number of care teams who are striving to safely engage and encourage their patients to thrive in the world around them.