Low VisionBeST-AIDNCT06107881
Beacon Sensors and Telerehabilitation to Assess and Improve Use of Devices (BeST-AID) for Low Vision
A study testing Low Vision Rehabilitation in people with Low Vision and Low Vision Aids, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 9 sites in United States.
Trial summary
One goal of this research is to conduct a non-inferiority trial of telerehabilitation versus in-office care to provide follow-up training to individuals with low vision to enhance their quality of life by using magnification devices and/or visual assistive mobile apps for important daily activities, such as reading… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Low Vision, Low Vision Aids
- What is being tested?
- Low Vision Rehabilitation
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 350 participants
- Where
- 9 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Dec 2023to 30 Jun 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- adults with any level of vision loss due to any ocular disease who are age 18 and older, and who have received new magnification device(s) for the first time (i.e., hand-held optical magnifiers, portable electronic video magnifiers, high near add powers of +4.00 or greater, visual assistive mobile apps for their smartphone/tablet, some stand magnifiers and CCTVs) from one of our participating low vision rehabilitation sites at the four academic centers and one private practice.
Who cannot join
- schedules not permitting participation in planned study visits (including planning to move far from their clinical provider's office within the first 4-months of the study (i.e., cannot attend in-office visits) or take extended vacation that would not allow them to complete study procedures during the first four months of the study period),
- inability to understand study procedures or communicate responses to visual stimuli in a consistent manner (greater than mild cognitive impairment as per TICS),
- substance abuse,
- significant hearing loss (unable to hear communication by phone or via videoconferencing),
- significant medical condition likely to limit participation or lifespan,
- individuals who require other types of LVR training or intervention (e.g., psychosocial).
- For Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors, exclusion would occur if their magnifier device has features that would not work in conjunction with the beacon sensors: (1) hands-free and do not have a place where the patient's hand is holding the device during use (therefore, they would not register a significant change in temperature), (2) no surface area of at least 1"x1" to which the beacon sensor could be attached without interfering with the device, or (3) use of visual assistive mobile apps only.
Trial locations and contacts
9 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
9 sites in 1 country
United States9 sites, 9 recruiting
- Not yet recruiting
New England College of Optometry
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
Nicole C Ross, OD
- Not yet recruiting
Boston University Eye Associates, Inc.
Brockton, Massachusetts, 02301
Lexi G Malkin, OD
- Not yet recruiting
Southern Califonia College of Optometry
Fullerton, California, 92831
Patrick Yoshinaga, OD
- Not yet recruiting
Chan Family Optometry
Grass Valley, California, 95945
Tiffany L Chan, OD
- Recruiting
UCLA Stein Eye Institute
Los Angeles, California, 90095
Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD, 310-206-4649
Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD
- Not yet recruiting
Mid-Michigan Eye Care
Midland, Michigan, 48640
John E Kaminski, OD
- Not yet recruiting
University of Nebraska: Weigel Williamson Center for Visual Rehabilitation at the Truhlsen Eye Institute
Omaha, Nebraska, 68198
John Shepherd, MD
- Not yet recruiting
Frank Stein & Paul S. May Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation at The Eye Institute
San Francisco, California, 94102
Tiffany Chan, OD
- Not yet recruiting
See What You Miss Optometry
Santa Monica, California, 90401
Lynn Watt Kurata, OD
About this study
One goal of this research is to conduct a non-inferiority trial of telerehabilitation versus in-office care to provide follow-up training to individuals with low vision to enhance their quality of life by using magnification devices and/or visual assistive mobile apps for important daily activities, such as reading and/or other valued tasks. This is a high priority given the increasing prevalence of low vision, paucity of low vision rehabilitation providers, and barriers related to access to care, such as transportation and geography, which can be essentially eliminated with telerehabilitation. Another goal of this project is to determine whether significant changes in environmental data collected by Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors can be used as a solution to monitor and indicate when low vision patients' have abandoned the use of their magnification devices, which has the potential to substantially enhance patient management by providing timely low vision rehabilitation services.
- Conditions
- Low Vision, Low Vision Aids
- Being tested
- Low Vision Rehabilitation
- Medical subject headings
- Vision, Low
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Low Vision RehabilitationBehavioural
Evaluation and training with magnification or visual assistive devices for visually-impaired adults
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Telerehabilitation with low vision provider | Experimental | Low Vision Rehabilitation for use of magnification or visual assistive devices using videoconferencing for remotely delivered follow-up care Receives: Behavioral: Low Vision Rehabilitation |
| Usual Care In-Office | Active comparator | Low Vision Rehabilitation in-office for use of magnification or visual assistive devices Receives: Behavioral: Low Vision Rehabilitation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Activity Inventory
questionnaire; scores will be Rasch analyzed in logic units with higher or positive scores indicating less difficulty (i.e., improvement)
Measured: changes from 1 month to 4 months to 8 months to 12 months to 13 months after receiving a magnification device
Secondary outcomes (7)
MNread
reading speed and acuity test
Measured: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Sustained Silent Reading Test
prolonged reading test
Measured: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
International Reading Speed Text (IReST)
reading speed test
Measured: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Radner Reading Charts
reading speed and acuity test
Measured: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Vision rehabilitation satisfaction survey
surveys: post-telerehabilitation or in-office visits
Measured: after each session that will occur over a period of 1 to 8 months and and again at about 1 year
Informant surveys by close acquaintances of participants
survey
Measured: 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Adherence to hand-held optical magnifier use (frequency and duration)
Bluetooth low energy beacon sensor data
Measured: baseline to 13 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Oct 2023
- Study start15 Dec 2023
- Primary completion30 Jun 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (8)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Low VisionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, Los AngelesThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- randomized controlled non-inferiority trial
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 350 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los Angeles
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Nebraska, New England College of Optometry, Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University, Mid-Michigan Eye Care
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Ava K. Bittner, OD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
- Investigators
- Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD, Principal investigator, University of California, Los Angeles
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06107881
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- BeST-AID 2.0
- Acronym
- BeST-AID
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 18 Oct 2023
- Last updated
- 24 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: Please contact the principal investigator
Publications
Bittner AK, Yoshinaga PD, Rittiphairoj T, Li T. Telerehabilitation for people with low vision. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 13;1(1):CD011019. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011019.pub4.
PubMed 36637057Malkin AG, Ross NC, Chun MW, Bittner AK; CARE Study Team. Why Are Visual Assistive Mobile Applications Underused by Low Vision Patients? Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Apr 1;99(4):333-334. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001893. No abstract available.
PubMed 35213868Kaminski JE, Yoshinaga PD, Chun MW, Yu M, Shepherd JD, Chan TL, Deemer A, Bittner AK; BeST-AID Study Team. Value of Handheld Optical Illuminated Magnifiers for Sustained Silent Reading by Visually Impaired Adults. Optom Vis Sci. 2023 May 1;100(5):312-318. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000002013. Epub 2023 Mar 22.
PubMed 36951854Bittner AK, Kaminski JE, Ross NC, Shepherd JD, Thoene SJ, Bui SZ, Yoshinaga PD; BeST-AID Study Team. Telerehabilitation Training to Facilitate Improved Reading Ability with New Magnification Devices for Low Vision. Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Oct 1;99(10):743-749. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001944. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
PubMed 36067410Bittner AK, Yoshinaga PD, Shepherd JD, Kaminski JE, Malkin AG, Chun MW, Chan TL, Deemer AD, Ross NC; BeST-AID Study Team. Acceptability of Telerehabilitation for Magnification Devices for the Visually Impaired Using Various Approaches to Facilitate Accessibility. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2022 Aug 1;11(8):4. doi: 10.1167/tvst.11.8.4.
PubMed 35917136Bittner AK, Estabrook M, Dennis N. Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon Sensors to Document Handheld Magnifier Use at Home by People with Low Vision. Sensors (Basel). 2021 Oct 25;21(21):7065. doi: 10.3390/s21217065.
PubMed 34770374Bittner AK, Yoshinaga P, Bowers A, Shepherd JD, Succar T, Ross NC. Feasibility of Telerehabilitation for Low Vision: Satisfaction Ratings by Providers and Patients. Optom Vis Sci. 2018 Sep;95(9):865-872. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001260.
PubMed 30169361Bittner AK, Jacobson AJ, Khan R. Feasibility of Using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon Sensors to Detect Magnifier Usage by Low Vision Patients. Optom Vis Sci. 2018 Sep;95(9):844-851. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001266.
PubMed 30169359
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Beacon Sensors and Telerehabilitation to Assess and Improve Use of Devices (BeST-AID) for Low Vision
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06107881
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- BeST-AID / BeST-AID 2.0
- Conditions
- Low Vision, Low Vision Aids
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 350 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Los AngelesUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Nebraska, New England College of Optometry, Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University, Mid-Michigan Eye Care
- Study start
- 15 Dec 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
One goal of this research is to conduct a non-inferiority trial of telerehabilitation versus in-office care to provide follow-up training to individuals with low vision to enhance their quality of life by using magnification devices and/or visual assistive mobile apps for important daily activities, such as reading and/or other valued tasks. This is a high priority given the increasing prevalence of low vision, paucity of low vision rehabilitation providers, and barriers related to access to care, such as transportation and geography, which can be essentially eliminated with telerehabilitation. Another goal of this project is to determine whether significant changes in environmental data collected by Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors can be used as a solution to monitor and indicate when low vision patients' have abandoned the use of their magnification devices, which has the potential to substantially enhance patient management by providing timely low vision rehabilitation services.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- randomized controlled non-inferiority trial
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Telerehabilitation with low vision provider | Experimental | Behavioral: Low Vision RehabilitationLow Vision Rehabilitation for use of magnification or visual assistive devices using videoconferencing for remotely delivered follow-up care |
| Usual Care In-Office | Active comparator | Behavioral: Low Vision RehabilitationLow Vision Rehabilitation in-office for use of magnification or visual assistive devices |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- adults with any level of vision loss due to any ocular disease who are age 18 and older, and who have received new magnification device(s) for the first time (i.e., hand-held optical magnifiers, portable electronic video magnifiers, high near add powers of +4.00 or greater, visual assistive mobile apps for their smartphone/tablet, some stand magnifiers and CCTVs) from one of our participating low vision rehabilitation sites at the four academic centers and one private practice.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- schedules not permitting participation in planned study visits (including planning to move far from their clinical provider's office within the first 4-months of the study (i.e., cannot attend in-office visits) or take extended vacation that would not allow them to complete study procedures during the first four months of the study period),
- inability to understand study procedures or communicate responses to visual stimuli in a consistent manner (greater than mild cognitive impairment as per TICS),
- substance abuse,
- significant hearing loss (unable to hear communication by phone or via videoconferencing),
- significant medical condition likely to limit participation or lifespan,
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Low Vision RehabilitationEvaluation and training with magnification or visual assistive devices for visually-impaired adults | Behavioural | Telerehabilitation with low vision provider, Usual Care In-Office |
Primary outcome
Activity Inventory
Time frame: changes from 1 month to 4 months to 8 months to 12 months to 13 months after receiving a magnification device
questionnaire; scores will be Rasch analyzed in logic units with higher or positive scores indicating less difficulty (i.e., improvement)
7 secondary outcomes
MNread
Time frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Sustained Silent Reading Test
Time frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
International Reading Speed Text (IReST)
Time frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Radner Reading Charts
Time frame: baseline, 1 month, 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Vision rehabilitation satisfaction survey
Time frame: after each session that will occur over a period of 1 to 8 months and and again at about 1 year
Informant surveys by close acquaintances of participants
Time frame: 4 months, 8 months, 12 months, 13 months
Adherence to hand-held optical magnifier use (frequency and duration)
Time frame: baseline to 13 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Sep 2026.
- Background: PubMed 36637057Bittner AK, Yoshinaga PD, Rittiphairoj T, Li T. Telerehabilitation for people with low vision. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jan 13;1(1):CD011019. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011019.pub4.
- Background: PubMed 35213868Malkin AG, Ross NC, Chun MW, Bittner AK; CARE Study Team. Why Are Visual Assistive Mobile Applications Underused by Low Vision Patients? Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Apr 1;99(4):333-334. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001893. No abstract available.
- Results publication: PubMed 36951854Kaminski JE, Yoshinaga PD, Chun MW, Yu M, Shepherd JD, Chan TL, Deemer A, Bittner AK; BeST-AID Study Team. Value of Handheld Optical Illuminated Magnifiers for Sustained Silent Reading by Visually Impaired Adults. Optom Vis Sci. 2023 May 1;100(5):312-318. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000002013. Epub 2023 Mar 22.
- Results publication: PubMed 36067410Bittner AK, Kaminski JE, Ross NC, Shepherd JD, Thoene SJ, Bui SZ, Yoshinaga PD; BeST-AID Study Team. Telerehabilitation Training to Facilitate Improved Reading Ability with New Magnification Devices for Low Vision. Optom Vis Sci. 2022 Oct 1;99(10):743-749. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001944. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
- Results publication: PubMed 35917136Bittner AK, Yoshinaga PD, Shepherd JD, Kaminski JE, Malkin AG, Chun MW, Chan TL, Deemer AD, Ross NC; BeST-AID Study Team. Acceptability of Telerehabilitation for Magnification Devices for the Visually Impaired Using Various Approaches to Facilitate Accessibility. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2022 Aug 1;11(8):4. doi: 10.1167/tvst.11.8.4.
- Results publication: PubMed 34770374Bittner AK, Estabrook M, Dennis N. Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon Sensors to Document Handheld Magnifier Use at Home by People with Low Vision. Sensors (Basel). 2021 Oct 25;21(21):7065. doi: 10.3390/s21217065.
- Results publication: PubMed 30169361Bittner AK, Yoshinaga P, Bowers A, Shepherd JD, Succar T, Ross NC. Feasibility of Telerehabilitation for Low Vision: Satisfaction Ratings by Providers and Patients. Optom Vis Sci. 2018 Sep;95(9):865-872. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001260.
- Results publication: PubMed 30169359Bittner AK, Jacobson AJ, Khan R. Feasibility of Using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon Sensors to Detect Magnifier Usage by Low Vision Patients. Optom Vis Sci. 2018 Sep;95(9):844-851. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001266.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. Please contact the principal investigator
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Ava K Bittner, OD, PhD principal investigator
University of California, Los Angeles
9 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Low Vision Rehabilitation in people with Low Vision and Low Vision Aids, run by University of California, Los Angeles at 9 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 9 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact UCLA Study Coordinator (310-794-5602, JessicaSLin@mednet.ucla.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Activity Inventory (time frame: changes from 1 month to 4 months to 8 months to 12 months to 13 months after receiving a magnification device). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06107881, which also lists 8 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Sep 2026.