Joan A. Stelmack|Xiaoyin Tang|Domenic J. Reda|Stephen Rinne|Rickilyn M. Mancil|Robert W. Massof
Outcomes of the Veterans Affairs Low Vision Intervention Trial (LOVIT)
Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
h3objectiveh3 evaluate effectiveness lowvision rehabilitation program h3methodsh3 multicenter randomized clinical trial conducted november 2004 november 2006 4month followup total 126 patients included 98 white male patients referred eye lowvision clinics blind rehabilitation centers visual acuity betterseeing eye worse 20100 better 20500 eligible veterans affairs va services telephone interviews patients conducted homes participation outpatient lowvision program va medical care facility waiting list control group interviewer administering questionnaires telephone masked patients assignments interventions included lowvision examination counseling prescription provision lowvision devices 6 weekly sessions provided lowvision therapist teach use assistive devices adaptive strategies perform daily living tasks independently h3main outcome measureh3 change patients visual reading ability estimated participant responses veterans affairs lowvision visual functioning questionnaire lv vfq48 reading items completed baseline compared 4 months enrollment treatment control groups secondary outcomes changes visual ability domains mobility visual information processing visual motor skills overall visual ability baseline 4 months estimated va lv vfq48 difficulty ratings subsets items h3resultsh3 treatment group demonstrated significant improvement aspects visual function compared control group difference mean changes 243 logits 95 confidence interval ci 207277ipi lt 001 effect size 251 visual reading ability 084 logit 95 ci 058110ipi lt 001 effect size 114 mobility 138 logits 95 ci 115162ipi lt 001 effect size 203 visual information processing 151 logits 95 ci 122180ipi lt 001 effect size 182 visual motor skills 163 logits 95 ci 140186ipi lt 001 effect size 251 overall visual function h3conclusionh3 program effectively provided lowvision rehabilitation patients macular diseases h3applications clinical practiceh3 least 10 hours lowvision therapy including home visit assigned homework encourage practice justified patients moderate severe vision loss macular diseases waitinglist control patients demonstrated decline functional ability lowvision services offered early possible h3trial registrationh3 clinicaltrialsgov identifiernct00223756