Visual Field DefectsNCT07809243
Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Therapy for Visually Impaired Population
A study testing Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training in people with Visual Field Defects, run by Centre for Eye and Vision Research at 1 site in Hong Kong.
Trial summary
Visual impairments significantly impact individuals' activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL). While perceptual learning (PL) has shown promise in vision rehabilitation, traditional PL usually involves a protracted training process, and its training effects may sometimes lack ecological validity. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Visual Field Defects
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- 1 siteHong Kong
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2026to 1 Jan 2029
- 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 to 80 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Humphrey visual field analyzer (HFA) visual field loss (mean deviation of ≤-6 dB)
Who cannot join
- Comprehension disorder that does not allow understanding of tests or training (e.g., in severe aphasia)
- Currently under other PL treatment
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Hong Kong1 site
Units 901-903, 9/F, Building 17W, 17 Science Park West Avenue, Hong Kong Science Park, Pak Shek Kok, Shatin
Hong Kong
Ke Zhang, 852+53748502, ke.zhang@cevr.hk
About this study
Official title: Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Therapy for Visually Impaired Population: Study Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial
Visual impairments significantly impact individuals' activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL). While perceptual learning (PL) has shown promise in vision rehabilitation, traditional PL usually involves a protracted training process, and its training effects may sometimes lack ecological validity. This study protocol outlines a two-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of an innovative virtual reality (VR)-based PL therapy integrated with machine learning algorithms. Twenty participants with visual field deficits will be recruited and randomized in a 1:1 ratio into either the VR training group or a no-intervention control group. The intervention consists of six visits (1-7 days apart), each involving two training tasks (20 - 30 minutes per task). The VR training task is an Ecological Multiple Object Tracking task and a Dual task. Training stimuli are personalized to target each participant's transition zone (1~20 dB) based on the result of clinical visual field test. A Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) framework, specifically the Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) algorithm, is utilized as an adaptive controller to dynamically modulate task difficulty and maintain participants in an optimal cognitive "flow state". The primary outcome is visual field area improvement (measured by Humphrey Field Analyzer). Secondary outcomes include pre- and post-intervention assessments of visual search, balance ability, fear of falling, ADL, and QoL. It is hypothesized that participants in the VR training group will obtain improvements in primary and secondary outcomes.
- Conditions
- Visual Field Defects
- Being tested
- Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning TrainingBehavioural
Prior to the training session, participants' visual fields will be assessed using standard automated perimetry (e.g., Humphrey Field Analyzer, 30-2 or 24-2 grid). Based on the decibel (dB) sensitivity maps from the clinical results, each participant's visual field will be classified into three functional zones: the intact zone (normal sensitivity), the absolute blind zone (<0 dB), and the transition zone or "gray area" (1~20 dB; relative scotoma characterized by reduced but present sensitivity).
One training session will be 20 ~30 minutes for each task. Participants will be asked to complete a total of 6 training sessions. In each training session, the participant will be asked to complete two tasks (i.e., ecological multiple object tracking task and dual task) which will take approximately one hour. Training sessions will be spaced at intervals of 1~7 days.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training |
| No-intervention Control | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Visual Area Improvement
Primary outcome is the visual area measured using the HVF (24-2, SITA-standard), where sensitivity increased by 6 dB or more relative to baseline in the defective hemifield or whole field.
Measured: Within one week after the training ends
Secondary outcomes (5)
Pre/post-intervention assessments of visual search
Visual search: Perceptual processing efficiency will be assessed using a visual search task - spatial configuration search task (Wolfe et al., 2010). In this task, participants were instructed to fixate on the centre of the screen and to locate a target. Each trial began with a short tone, followed after 500 ms by a search display. Participants pressed a key to report whether the target was present (in 50% of trials) or absent, responding as quickly and accurately as possible. Feedback-indicating response correctness-appeared for 500 ms after each trial. Trials were separated by a 1000-ms inter-trial interval. Set size was systematically varied across two conditions-6 items (1 target + 5 distractors) and 18 items (1 target + 17 distractors)-to quantify search efficiency. For each participant, reaction time (RT) was regressed on set size, and the resulting slope served as the primary index of perceptual processing efficiency: shallower slopes indicate higher efficiency.
Measured: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of balance ability
Balance: The Bertec Balance Advantage™ system is used to assess participants' balance before and after training. During the test, participants are asked to stand under different challenging conditions. Balance-challenging conditions include (1) standing on a firm or foam surface (Fi/Fo); (2) standing surface with backward or forward translation (BT/FT); and (3) standing with their eyes close (EC). Outcome measures, including root mean square sway of the center of pressure in the anterior - posterior and medial -lateral directions (mm/s), total sway path length (mm), and maximum CoP displacement in the AP and ML directions (mm)
Measured: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of fear of fall
Fear of fall: The English \& Chinese version of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) is a validated and reliable questionnaire used to assess fear of falling in everyday life. The FES-I total score ranges from 16 to 64. Higher scores indicate greater concern about falling and therefore a worse outcome.
Measured: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of quality of life (a)
The National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25), English and Chinese versions. The NEI VFQ-25 scores range from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better visual functioning and better vision-related quality of life and therefore represent a better outcome.
Measured: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of quality of life (b)
The Chinese version of the Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaire (CLVQOL) is used to assess vision-related quality of life. The CLVQOL contains 25 items, each scored from 0 to 5, resulting in a theoretical total score ranging from 0 to 125. Higher scores indicate fewer vision-related difficulties and better vision-related quality of life and therefore represent a better outcome.
Measured: Within one week after the training ends
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Sep 2026
- Study start1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion1 Oct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jan 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Visual Field DefectsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Centre for Eye and Vision Research
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07809243
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- CEVR-PL-20260831
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 31 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 9 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Therapy for Visually Impaired Population: Study Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07809243
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CEVR-PL-20260831
- Conditions
- Visual Field Defects
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Centre for Eye and Vision ResearchUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 1 Oct 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Jan 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 9 Sep 2026 (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.
Visual impairments significantly impact individuals' activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL). While perceptual learning (PL) has shown promise in vision rehabilitation, traditional PL usually involves a protracted training process, and its training effects may sometimes lack ecological validity. This study protocol outlines a two-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of an innovative virtual reality (VR)-based PL therapy integrated with machine learning algorithms. Twenty participants with visual field deficits will be recruited and randomized in a 1:1 ratio into either the VR training group or a no-intervention control group. The intervention consists of six visits (1-7 days apart), each involving two training tasks (20 - 30 minutes per task). The VR training task is an Ecological Multiple Object Tracking task and a Dual task. Training stimuli are personalized to target each participant's transition zone (1~20 dB) based on the result of clinical visual field test. A Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) framework, specifically the Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) algorithm, is utilized as an adaptive controller to dynamically modulate task difficulty and maintain participants in an optimal cognitive "flow state". The primary outcome is visual field area improvement (measured by Humphrey Field Analyzer). Secondary outcomes include pre- and post-intervention assessments of visual search, balance ability, fear of falling, ADL, and QoL. It is hypothesized that participants in the VR training group will obtain improvements in primary and secondary outcomes.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training | Experimental | Behavioral: Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training |
| No-intervention Control | No intervention | – |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Humphrey visual field analyzer (HFA) visual field loss (mean deviation of ≤-6 dB)
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Comprehension disorder that does not allow understanding of tests or training (e.g., in severe aphasia)
- Currently under other PL treatment
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning TrainingPrior to the training session, participants' visual fields will be assessed using standard automated perimetry (e.g., Humphrey Field Analyzer, 30-2 or 24-2 grid). Based on the decibel (dB) sensitivity maps from the clinical results, each participant's visual field will be classified into three functional zones: the intact zone (normal sensitivity), the absolute blind zone (<0 dB), and the transition zone or "gray area" (1~20 dB; relative scotoma characterized by reduced but present sensitivity). One training session will be 20 ~30 minutes for each task. Participants will be asked to complete a total of 6 training sessions. In each training session, the participant will be asked to complete two tasks (i.e., ecological multiple object tracking task and dual task) which will take approximately one hour. Training sessions will be spaced at intervals of 1~7 days. | Behavioural | Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training |
Primary outcome
Visual Area Improvement
Time frame: Within one week after the training ends
Primary outcome is the visual area measured using the HVF (24-2, SITA-standard), where sensitivity increased by 6 dB or more relative to baseline in the defective hemifield or whole field.
5 secondary outcomes
Pre/post-intervention assessments of visual search
Time frame: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of balance ability
Time frame: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of fear of fall
Time frame: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of quality of life (a)
Time frame: Within one week after the training ends
Pre/post-intervention assessments of quality of life (b)
Time frame: Within one week after the training ends
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 9 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes
Related trials for Visual Field Defects
Active, not recruiting
Statistical Learning as a Novel Intervention for Cortical Blindness
Stroke, Ischemic, Hemianopia, Homonymous
Recruiting
Home-based Vision Rehabilitation Guided by Brain Imaging
Visual Field Defect, Stroke
Recruiting
Vision Improvement Through Behavioral Rehabilitation And Neuroplasticity Training
Visual Field Defect, Stroke
RecruitingObservational study
Evaluation of Different Perimetric Grids to Detect Central Visual Field Defect in Glaucoma Patients With Reduce Ganglion Cell Layer Thickness Measured by Spectral Domain OCT.
Glaucoma
Recruiting
Vision Loss Impact on Navigation in Virtual Reality
Stroke, Ischemic, Quadrantanopia
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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Reality-based Perceptual Learning Training in people with Visual Field Defects, run by Centre for Eye and Vision Research at 1 site in Hong Kong.
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 2 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 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 1 site in Hong Kong. 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 Ke Zhang (852+53748502, ke.zhang@cevr.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Visual Area Improvement (time frame: Within one week after the training ends). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 9 Sep 2026.