Beacon Sensors and Telerehabilitation to Assess and Improve Use of Devices (BeST-AID) for Low Vision (BeST-AID)
September 18, 2025 updated by: Ava K. Bittner, OD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
One goal of this research is to conduct a non-inferiority trial of telerehabilitation versus in-office care to provide follow-up training to individuals with low vision to enhance their quality of life by using magnification devices and/or visual assistive mobile apps for important daily activities, such as reading and/or other valued tasks.
This is a high priority given the increasing prevalence of low vision, paucity of low vision rehabilitation providers, and barriers related to access to care, such as transportation and geography, which can be essentially eliminated with telerehabilitation.
Another goal of this project is to determine whether significant changes in environmental data collected by Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors can be used as a solution to monitor and indicate when low vision patients' have abandoned the use of their magnification devices, which has the potential to substantially enhance patient management by providing timely low vision rehabilitation services.
Study Overview
Status
Recruiting
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Estimated)
350
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.
Study Contact
- Name: UCLA Study Coordinator
- Phone Number: 310-794-5602
- Email: JessicaSLin@mednet.ucla.edu
Study Locations
-
-
California
-
Fullerton, California, United States, 92831
- Not yet recruiting
- Southern Califonia College of Optometry
-
Contact:
- Patrick Yoshinaga, OD
-
Grass Valley, California, United States, 95945
- Not yet recruiting
- Chan Family Optometry
-
Contact:
- Tiffany L Chan, OD
-
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
- Recruiting
- UCLA Stein Eye Institute
-
Contact:
- Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD
- Phone Number: 310-206-4649
-
Principal Investigator:
- Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD
-
San Francisco, California, United States, 94102
- Not yet recruiting
- Frank Stein & Paul S. May Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation at The Eye Institute
-
Contact:
- Tiffany Chan, OD
-
Santa Monica, California, United States, 90401
- Not yet recruiting
- See What You Miss Optometry
-
Contact:
- Lynn Watt Kurata, OD
-
-
Massachusetts
-
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
- Not yet recruiting
- New England College of Optometry
-
Contact:
- Nicole C Ross, OD
-
Brockton, Massachusetts, United States, 02301
- Not yet recruiting
- Boston University Eye Associates, Inc.
-
Contact:
- Lexi G Malkin, OD
-
-
Michigan
-
Midland, Michigan, United States, 48640
- Not yet recruiting
- Mid-Michigan Eye Care
-
Contact:
- John E Kaminski, OD
-
-
Nebraska
-
Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68198
- Not yet recruiting
- University of Nebraska: Weigel Williamson Center for Visual Rehabilitation at the Truhlsen Eye Institute
-
Contact:
- John Shepherd, MD
-
-
Participation Criteria
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- adults with any level of vision loss due to any ocular disease who are age 18 and older, and who have received new magnification device(s) for the first time (i.e., hand-held optical magnifiers, portable electronic video magnifiers, high near add powers of +4.00 or greater, visual assistive mobile apps for their smartphone/tablet, some stand magnifiers and CCTVs) from one of our participating low vision rehabilitation sites at the four academic centers and one private practice.
Exclusion Criteria:
- schedules not permitting participation in planned study visits (including planning to move far from their clinical provider's office within the first 4-months of the study (i.e., cannot attend in-office visits) or take extended vacation that would not allow them to complete study procedures during the first four months of the study period),
- inability to understand study procedures or communicate responses to visual stimuli in a consistent manner (greater than mild cognitive impairment as per TICS),
- substance abuse,
- significant hearing loss (unable to hear communication by phone or via videoconferencing),
- significant medical condition likely to limit participation or lifespan,
- individuals who require other types of LVR training or intervention (e.g., psychosocial).
- For Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors, exclusion would occur if their magnifier device has features that would not work in conjunction with the beacon sensors: (1) hands-free and do not have a place where the patient's hand is holding the device during use (therefore, they would not register a significant change in temperature), (2) no surface area of at least 1"x1" to which the beacon sensor could be attached without interfering with the device, or (3) use of visual assistive mobile apps only.
Study Plan
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Single
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: Telerehabilitation with low vision provider
Low Vision Rehabilitation for use of magnification or visual assistive devices using videoconferencing for remotely delivered follow-up care
|
Evaluation and training with magnification or visual assistive devices for visually-impaired adults
|
|
Active Comparator: Usual Care In-Office
Low Vision Rehabilitation in-office for use of magnification or visual assistive devices
|
Evaluation and training with magnification or visual assistive devices for visually-impaired adults
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Activity Inventory
Time Frame: changes from 1 month to 4 months to 8 months to 12 months to 13 months after receiving a magnification device
|
questionnaire; scores will be Rasch analyzed in logic units with higher or positive scores indicating less difficulty (i.e., improvement)
|
changes from 1 month to 4 months to 8 months to 12 months to 13 months after receiving a magnification device
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
MNread
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
reading speed and acuity test
|
baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
|
Sustained Silent Reading Test
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
prolonged reading test
|
baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
|
International Reading Speed Text (IReST)
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
reading speed test
|
baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
|
Radner Reading Charts
Time Frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
reading speed and acuity test
|
baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
|
Vision rehabilitation satisfaction survey
Time Frame: after each session that will occur over a period of 1 to 8 months and and again at about 1 year
|
surveys: post-telerehabilitation or in-office visits
|
after each session that will occur over a period of 1 to 8 months and and again at about 1 year
|
|
Informant surveys by close acquaintances of participants
Time Frame: 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
survey
|
4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
|
|
Adherence to hand-held optical magnifier use (frequency and duration)
Time Frame: baseline to 13 months
|
Bluetooth low energy beacon sensor data
|
baseline to 13 months
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
Publications and helpful links
The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.
General Publications
- Bittner AK, Yoshinaga P, Bowers A, Shepherd JD, Succar T, Ross NC. Feasibility of Telerehabilitation for Low Vision: Satisfaction Ratings by Providers and Patients. Optom Vis Sci. 2018 Sep;95(9):865-872. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001260.
- Bittner AK, Jacobson AJ, Khan R. Feasibility of Using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon Sensors to Detect Magnifier Usage by Low Vision Patients. Optom Vis Sci. 2018 Sep;95(9):844-851. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001266.
- Bittner AK, Yoshinaga PD, Rittiphairoj T, Li T. Telerehabilitation for people with low vision. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 13;1(1):CD011019. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011019.pub4.
- Malkin AG, Ross NC, Chun MW, Bittner AK; CARE Study Team. Why Are Visual Assistive Mobile Applications Underused by Low Vision Patients? Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Apr 1;99(4):333-334. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001893. No abstract available.
- Kaminski JE, Yoshinaga PD, Chun MW, Yu M, Shepherd JD, Chan TL, Deemer A, Bittner AK; BeST-AID Study Team. Value of Handheld Optical Illuminated Magnifiers for Sustained Silent Reading by Visually Impaired Adults. Optom Vis Sci. 2023 May 1;100(5):312-318. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000002013. Epub 2023 Mar 22.
- Bittner AK, Kaminski JE, Ross NC, Shepherd JD, Thoene SJ, Bui SZ, Yoshinaga PD; BeST-AID Study Team. Telerehabilitation Training to Facilitate Improved Reading Ability with New Magnification Devices for Low Vision. Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Oct 1;99(10):743-749. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001944. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
- Bittner AK, Yoshinaga PD, Shepherd JD, Kaminski JE, Malkin AG, Chun MW, Chan TL, Deemer AD, Ross NC; BeST-AID Study Team. Acceptability of Telerehabilitation for Magnification Devices for the Visually Impaired Using Various Approaches to Facilitate Accessibility. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2022 Aug 1;11(8):4. doi: 10.1167/tvst.11.8.4.
- Bittner AK, Estabrook M, Dennis N. Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon Sensors to Document Handheld Magnifier Use at Home by People with Low Vision. Sensors (Basel). 2021 Oct 25;21(21):7065. doi: 10.3390/s21217065.
Study record dates
These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
December 15, 2023
Primary Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2028
Study Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2028
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
October 18, 2023
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
October 24, 2023
First Posted (Actual)
October 30, 2023
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Estimated)
September 23, 2025
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 18, 2025
Last Verified
September 1, 2025
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- BeST-AID 2.0
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
UNDECIDED
IPD Plan Description
Please contact the principal investigator
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
No
product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.
No
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