A Virtual Reality Platform Simulating Visual Impairment for Testing of Electronic Travel Aids and Performing Orientation and Mobility Training

Participants will conduct experiments using commercial VR headsets and controllers. Visual impairments will be systematically simulated in VR. There are three visual impairment simulations (AMD, DR, and glaucoma) at three levels of severity (mild, moderate, or severe). Symptoms' simulation tools include a gaussian blur shader, distortion shader, and a culling mask with a gray spot in the middle.

In the second set of experiments, a multidimensional visual impairment simulation of a single pathology (glaucoma) will be used at three levels of severity (mild, moderate, or severe). The post-processing package to simulate includes glare, difficulty in light, change adaptation, ambient occlusion, visual clutter, and overall blurred effect. The shader graph package will be used to create a distortion localized on assets surfaces only.