TY  - JOUR
AU  - Andac, Safa
AU  - Stolle, Francie
AU  - Bernard, Matthieu
AU  - Al-Nosairy, Khaldoon O
AU  - Wolbers, Thomas
AU  - Hoffmann, Michael B
TI  - Navigation performance in glaucoma: virtual-reality-based assessment of path integration.
JO  - Scientific reports
VL  - 14
IS  - 1
SN  - 2045-2322
CY  - [London]
PB  - Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature
M1  - DZNE-2024-01132
SP  - 21320
PY  - 2024
AB  - Navigation is essential for moving between locations in our daily lives. We investigated the relationship between visual impairment in glaucoma and path-integration-based navigation. Fourteen glaucoma and 15 controls underwent ophthalmological examination (including visual acuity (logMAR), visual field sensitivity (MD: mean deviation from matched reference cohort), and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL)). Both groups navigated physically in virtual reality (VR) environments during daylight and dawn conditions. Briefly, the participants traversed a path marked by three targets, subsequently pointing back to the path's origin. Outcome measures included (i) travel-time, (ii) pointing-time, and (iii) Euclidian-distance error between indicated and starting position. Robust linear regression was conducted between visual function outcomes of the better eye and VR outcome measures. Glaucoma patients showed increase in travel-time (by 8.2 ± 1.7 s; p = 0.002) and in pointing-time (by 5.3 ± 1.6 s; p = 0.016). Predictors were MD for all outcome measures (p < 0.01) and pRNFL for travel-time (p < 0.01). The results suggest that the effect of glaucoma on the elapsed time depends on disease progression, i.e. people with stronger visual impairment need more time. This uncertainty during everyday navigation tasks may adversely affect their quality of life.
KW  - Humans
KW  - Female
KW  - Male
KW  - Virtual Reality
KW  - Glaucoma: physiopathology
KW  - Visual Acuity: physiology
KW  - Middle Aged
KW  - Visual Fields: physiology
KW  - Aged
KW  - Spatial Navigation: physiology
KW  - Case-Control Studies
KW  - Glaucoma (Other)
KW  - Navigation (Other)
KW  - Path integration (Other)
KW  - Virtual reality (Other)
KW  - Visual field (Other)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C2  - pmc:PMC11393326
C6  - pmid:39266690
DO  - DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-72040-8
UR  - https://pub.dzne.de/record/272137
ER  -