Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

We propose a novel approach that utilizes virtual reality (VR) and simulation environments to quantify the impact of visual impairments (VIs) on daily tasks, e.g., to what extent does glaucoma slow people down in wiping a table or chopping vegetables? We utilize clinical data from patients to develop visual field models, allowing VR to mimic the visual perception of VI patients as if it is seen through their eyes. Additionally, we leverage BEHAVIOR, the state-of-the-art simulation environment, to recreate a household environment for six daily activities. By measuring the disparity between the subjects' performance with and without VI, we can accurately quantify the impact of VIs. We further quantify the effects of VIs on body and eye movements, and model how movement strategies affect task performance under the influence of VIs. We hope our results can provide valuable insights into the challenges faced by individuals with VIs.