Shifting Desktop Video Magnifier Monitors to Compensate for Central Scotomas
By Schoessow, Kimberly A.; Fletcher, Donald C.; AER Journal: Research and Practice in Visual Impairment and Blindness,Publication Date: Spring 2009
Study sought to determine whether patients with central visual field loss prefer that a desktop video magnifier be positioned away from their scotoma. Desktop video magnifiers, also referred to as closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs), are tools that allow people with low vision to participate in sustained reading and writing tasks. Participants were 40 patients with central visual field loss in a low vision clinic at a large urban hospital. During low-vision rehabilitation evaluation, the features of the CCTV used, the Merlin LCD, were demonstrated, include the ability to shift the screen horizontally and vertically. Participants were then allowed to practice until they found a preferred size, color, polarity, and monitor location to best read a line of newsprint. They were then asked where they preferred the screen centered, and researchers compared participants’ preference for monitor location with the presence of a functioning fovea and the location of any central scotomas. Results showed that 7 preferred the CCTV monitor at an off-center location. Participants who preferred the monitor shifted did not differ significantly in age, gender, or visual acuity from those who preferred the monitor centered. However, those who preferred to off-center location had significantly decreased contrast sensitivity, required a larger minimum print size, and had a slower maximum reading rate. All participants who preferred the monitor off center were diagnosed solely with age-related macular degeneration and lacked a functioning fovea.
Assistive Products Discussed: MERLIN LCD
Published by: Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (Website:http://www.aerbvi.org)
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number O18060
