Novel Technologies to Measure Vision-related Quality of Life (Tablet-VR)

Feasibility Study of Novel Technologies to Measure Vision-related Quality of Life in Patients With Neurodegenerative Diseases Affecting the Optic Nerve or Retina

Traditional ways of measuring vision, such as reading letters on an eye chart, do not fully reflect the real-life visual problems experienced by people with eye diseases. Many patients report difficulties with things like contrast, recognising faces, and identifying items whilst shopping - challenges that are not captured by standard clinical tests.

As a result, it is hard to understand the true impact of these conditions on everyday life, or to measure how well new treatments are working.

Some new treatments for eye diseases have shown promise, but clinical trials have often struggled to show clear benefits. This is largely because the tools used to measure vision changes in trials are not sensitive enough to detect the kinds of improvements that matter most to patients.

This pilot study will explore whether novel, technology-based tests, delivered via tablets and virtual reality headsets, can better measure meaningful changes in vision and quality of life. These tools are designed to be more engaging and reflective of real-world visual tasks, such as navigating environments or detecting objects in low light.

Fifty participants with neurodegenerative diseases affecting the optic nerve or retina will take part in the study. Researchers will assess how feasible and acceptable these new tools are to patients and whether the results they produce align more closely with patients' lived experiences.

Ultimately, this research aims to improve how we assess vision in clinical trials, so that future treatments can be properly tested and approved based on measures that truly reflect patients' needs. If successful, it could lead to better-designed trials, more effective treatments, and improved quality of life for people living with visual impairment.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Neurodegenerative Diseases; Inherited Optic Neuropathy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Tablet- and virtual reality headset-based test of vision-related quality of life

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nisha Nixon; Phone Number: 01223 805000; Email: nisha.nixon1@nhs.net

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Fifty participants with neurodegenerative diseases affecting the optic nerve or retina will take part in the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults with neurodegenerative diseases affecting the optic nerve or retina who have sufficient manual dexterity to perform tablet-based and virtual reality headset-based tests. Informed consent will be received.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those under the age of 18 years old
• Those who do not have sufficient manual dexterity to perform the tablet-based and virtual reality headset-based tests

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Agreement of test performance with PROM	Agreement between the tablet-based and virtual reality headset-based tests of real-world vision, with the patient's experience of their vision-related quality of life as assessed using a validated patient-reported outcome measure tool	1 day
Agreement of traditional measures of vision with PROM	• Secondary comparison will be made between the patient's performance on traditional measures of vision and their response on the vision-related quality of life questionnaire.	1 day

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Experience of performing tests	• The secondary endpoint will be the subjective experience of the tablet-based and virtual reality headset-based tests, as measured by questionnaire surveys.	1 day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Nisha Nixon
• Collaborators: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 18, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 18, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 24, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 18, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Dosage Forms; Tablets
• Other Study ID Numbers: A097651

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No