Low vision
Low vision refers to any chronic, uncorrectable visual impairment that hinders everyday function. For people with low vision, even seemingly simple, yet critical, visual tasks such as reading are extremely challenging. About 314 million visually-impaired people worldwide are facing such challenges every day. The goal of our research is to develop suitable low-vision rehabilitation to enhance the performance of daily visual tasks such as reading and object recognition.
Assessment of functional vision
A comprehensive and accurate assessment of patient’s visual deficits is crucial for monitoring the status of vision loss, for developing and providing effective low vision rehabilitation, and for obtaining projections of potential benefits from interventions. Such assessment, primarily limited by the low efficiency of existing measurement tools, has not been possible. We aim to develop solutions to address the technological challenges and identify core metrics of functional vision in low vision. This is a crucial step towards establishing optimal clinical outcome measures and improving low vision care in clinical practice.
Perceptual learning and brain plasticity
The wiring of the human brain is malleable throughout life. Neural circuits can be shaped not only by incidental experience (e.g. learning to use residual vision following visual impairment) but also by intentional experience such as perceptual learning. Perceptual learning (the long-term modification of perception and behavior following practice or sensory experience) is particularly suitable for low-vision rehabilitation because the immediate consequences of most visual impairments are sensory deficits. Our research demonstrated the potential value of perceptual learning on improving reading performance. For instance, reading speed in peripheral vision can improve with extensive practice on character-based task. We aim to develop an optimal training paradigm for low-vision rehabilitation.
Crowding
Crowding, a fundamental limiting factor of reading and object recognition in peripheral vision, refers to a phenomenon in which identification accuracy for target objects is reduced when presented in close proximity to other objects. We are interested in understanding the underlying mechanisms of crowding and in developing methods to alleviate or eliminate its impact on reading and object recognition.
Image optimization
We investigate how the visual system weighs and integrates information spatially and temporally, how the features/components of objects contribute to visual performance, and what cues or enhancements can be applied to objects or images to improve visual performance of low-vision patients.
Cross-modal processing
In low vision, cortical plasticity may include changes in neuroanatomical structures, neuronal response properties, and distribution of neural resources within visual modality and across multiple sensory modalities. We are interested in evaluating crossmodal (e.g., visual-tactile) interaction in normal and low vision, and in understanding the cortical response of low-vision patients to multisensory perceptual experience.