Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study
BackgroundGlaucoma, the silent thief of sight, is a major cause of blindness worldwide. It is a burden for people in low-income countries, specifically countries where glaucoma-induced blindness accounts for 15% of the total incidence of blindness. More than half the people l...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2021-09-01
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| Series: | JMIR Formative Research |
| Online Access: | https://formative.jmir.org/2021/9/e26602 |
| _version_ | 1797735759033139200 |
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| author | Esmael Kedir Nida Sisay Bekele Luc Geurts Vero Vanden Abeele |
| author_facet | Esmael Kedir Nida Sisay Bekele Luc Geurts Vero Vanden Abeele |
| author_sort | Esmael Kedir Nida |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundGlaucoma, the silent thief of sight, is a major cause of blindness worldwide. It is a burden for people in low-income countries, specifically countries where glaucoma-induced blindness accounts for 15% of the total incidence of blindness. More than half the people living with glaucoma in low-income countries are unaware of the disease until it progresses to an advanced stage, resulting in permanent visual impairment.
ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the acceptability of the Glaucoma Easy Screener (GES), a low-cost and portable visual field screening platform comprising a smartphone, a stereoscopic virtual reality headset, and a gaming joystick.
MethodsA mixed methods study that included 24 eye care professionals from 4 hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of GES. A pre-post design was used to collect perspectives before and after using the GES by using questionnaires and semistructured interviews. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the significance of any change in the scores of the questionnaire items (two-tailed, 95% CI; α=.05). The questionnaire and interview questions were guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology.
ResultsPositive results were obtained both before and after use, suggesting the acceptance of mobile health solutions for conducting glaucoma screening by using a low-cost headset with a smartphone and a game controller. There was a significant increase (two-tailed, 95% CI; α=.05) in the average scores of 86% (19/22) of postuse questionnaire items compared with those of preuse questionnaire items. Ophthalmic professionals perceived GES as easy to use and as a tool that enabled the conduct of glaucoma screening tests, especially during outreach to rural areas. However, positive evaluations are contingent on the accuracy of the tool. Moreover, ophthalmologists voiced the need to limit the tool to screening only (ie, not for making diagnoses).
ConclusionsThis study supports the feasibility of using a mobile device in combination with a low-cost virtual reality headset and classic controller for glaucoma screening in rural areas. GES has the potential to reduce the burden of irreversible blindness caused by glaucoma. However, further assessment of its sensitivity and specificity is required. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:02:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b053c5a095b94d6a8613b496ecbfc75c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2561-326X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T13:02:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Formative Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-b053c5a095b94d6a8613b496ecbfc75c2023-08-28T19:05:53ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Formative Research2561-326X2021-09-0159e2660210.2196/26602Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post StudyEsmael Kedir Nidahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9621-1472Sisay Bekelehttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6863-6169Luc Geurtshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9608-9147Vero Vanden Abeelehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3031-9579 BackgroundGlaucoma, the silent thief of sight, is a major cause of blindness worldwide. It is a burden for people in low-income countries, specifically countries where glaucoma-induced blindness accounts for 15% of the total incidence of blindness. More than half the people living with glaucoma in low-income countries are unaware of the disease until it progresses to an advanced stage, resulting in permanent visual impairment. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the acceptability of the Glaucoma Easy Screener (GES), a low-cost and portable visual field screening platform comprising a smartphone, a stereoscopic virtual reality headset, and a gaming joystick. MethodsA mixed methods study that included 24 eye care professionals from 4 hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of GES. A pre-post design was used to collect perspectives before and after using the GES by using questionnaires and semistructured interviews. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the significance of any change in the scores of the questionnaire items (two-tailed, 95% CI; α=.05). The questionnaire and interview questions were guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. ResultsPositive results were obtained both before and after use, suggesting the acceptance of mobile health solutions for conducting glaucoma screening by using a low-cost headset with a smartphone and a game controller. There was a significant increase (two-tailed, 95% CI; α=.05) in the average scores of 86% (19/22) of postuse questionnaire items compared with those of preuse questionnaire items. Ophthalmic professionals perceived GES as easy to use and as a tool that enabled the conduct of glaucoma screening tests, especially during outreach to rural areas. However, positive evaluations are contingent on the accuracy of the tool. Moreover, ophthalmologists voiced the need to limit the tool to screening only (ie, not for making diagnoses). ConclusionsThis study supports the feasibility of using a mobile device in combination with a low-cost virtual reality headset and classic controller for glaucoma screening in rural areas. GES has the potential to reduce the burden of irreversible blindness caused by glaucoma. However, further assessment of its sensitivity and specificity is required.https://formative.jmir.org/2021/9/e26602 |
| spellingShingle | Esmael Kedir Nida Sisay Bekele Luc Geurts Vero Vanden Abeele Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study JMIR Formative Research |
| title | Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study |
| title_full | Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study |
| title_fullStr | Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study |
| title_short | Acceptance of a Smartphone-Based Visual Field Screening Platform for Glaucoma: Pre-Post Study |
| title_sort | acceptance of a smartphone based visual field screening platform for glaucoma pre post study |
| url | https://formative.jmir.org/2021/9/e26602 |
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