Orientation and mobility training for adults with low vision.

BACKGROUND

Orientation and mobility (O&M) training is provided to people who are visually impaired to help them maintain travel independence. It teaches them new orientation and mobility skills to compensate for reduced visual information.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this review was to assess the effects of (O&M) training, with or without associated devices, for adults with low vision.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, SIGLE, EMBASE, National Research Register, Zetoc, LILACS, and the reference lists of articles. Updated searches were in 2006.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We planned to include randomised or quasi-randomised trials comparing (O&M) training with no training in adults with low vision.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors independently assessed the search results for eligibility, evaluated study quality and extracted the data.

MAIN RESULTS

Two small studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. They were consecutive phases of development of the same training curriculum and assessment tool. The intervention was administered by a volunteer on the basis of written and oral instruction. In both studies the randomisation technique was inadequate, being based on alternation, and masking was not achieved. Training had no effect in the first study while it was found to be beneficial in the second. Reasons for this may have been: the high scores obtained in the first study, suggestive of little need for training and small room for further improvement (a ceiling effect), and the refinement of the curriculum allowing better tailoring to patients' specific needs and characteristics, in the second study.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The review found two small trials with similar methods, comparing (O&M) training to physical exercise, which were unable to demonstrate a difference. Therefore, there is little evidence on which type of orientation and mobility training is better for people with low vision who have specific characteristics and needs. Orientation and mobility instructors and scientists should plan randomised controlled studies to compare the effectiveness of different types of (O&M) training. A consensus is needed on the adoption of standard measurement instruments of mobility performance which are proved to be reliable and sensitive to the diverse mobility needs of people with low vision. For this purpose, questionnaires and performance-based tests may represent different tools that explore people with low vision's subjective experience or their objective functioning, respectively.