목적 : 신체균형 측정기를 이용하여 주시거리와 다양한 시각 상태가 신체 안정성에 미치는 영향을 알아보고자 하였다. 방법 : 대상자는 총 23명(23.92±2.09세)으로 진행하였으며, 시각 조건은 모두 ‘완전교정, 흐림 조건(시력 0.5 logMAR 미만) 그리고 10° 이내의 시야’이다. 신체 안정성 측정은 ‘3D Guidance‘를 사용하였다. 결과 : 완전교정 상태에서는 주시거리 간 통계적으로 유의한 차이는 없었다(p>0.050). 그러나 흐림 조건에서는 주시거리에 따라 측면 및 전·후면 흔들림에서 유의한 차이가 확인되었으며(p=0.004, p=0.027), 시야가 10° 이 내로 제한되었을 때에도 유의한 신체 흔들림이 관찰되었다(p<0.050). 결론 : 주시거리에 따라 신체 안정성의 변화가 나타나며, 특히 흐림과 제한된 시야 상태에서는 주시거리에 따른 차이가 더 유의하였다.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experience of suffering from vision loss in adults with acquired visual impairment in South Korea. Methods: A phenomenological approach was used to inquire about the lived experience of suffering in 10 adults with acquired visual impairment. The data were collected through individual in-depth interviews. All interviews were audio-taped, and verbatim transcripts were made for the analysis. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. Results: Four theme clusters were extracted from the analysis. They were as follows: ‘blindness as nightmare becoming reality,’ ‘locking in the curtain of darkness,’ ‘living with wings lost,’ and finally ‘screaming with a suffering body and mind, in the darkness.’ Conclusion: The findings of this study provide a deep understanding and insights of the lived experience of suffering from vision loss in adults with acquired visual impairment. Based on the results of the study, health professionals can develop better caring programs to support adults with acquired visual impairment, and their family.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of iPad for visual impairment by utilizing the magnification functions on the iPad compared to conventional optical magnifier when looking at near object. Methods: 18 participants (9 males and 9 females, 42 through to 71 years of age, with a mean age of 63.2 ± 12.3 years.)were asked to perform timed tasks of viewing bills and photographs to find the certain information. They were then asked to compare between their optical aid and the iPad in terms of comfort, ease of use and clarity when viewing bills and photographs. Results: Participants spent significantly less time completing the tasks when using their own optical magnifiers compared to the iPad (p<0.01). In the photograph viewing task, optical aids were perceived to be significantly clearer than the iPad (p=0.02). Conclusion: Overall, the iPad were not shown to be significantly more comfortable or offer more visual clarity when compared to traditional optical magnifying systems. Conversely, we also could not show that the iPad is any worse than traditional optical magnifying systems. Due to the likely benefits of training on the outcome, the iPad may have great potential as a low vision aid, but it may also need additional accessory such as stand for better image stabilization.