Preparing participants for the use of the tongue visual sensory substitution device.
Zahide Pamir, Jae-Hyun Jung, Eli Peli
PMID 32997554WHAT IT FOUND
Training on a tongue-based visual device showed huge individual differences.
Half of those with acquired blindness and two-thirds of those with congenital blindness reached letter recognition. Progress in the first two sessions predicted later success, but many dropped out due to discomfort or lack of interest.
Key findings
01Six of nine congenitally blind participants and ten of twenty with acquired blindness reached the final training stage of recognizing letters and numbers.
02Participants who could complete the fourth training stage within the first session were able to progress to recognizing letters and numbers, while those stuck in the first four stages did not improve even after four sessions.
03Twelve of the twenty-nine participants dropped out or stopped training, citing gagging, lack of progress, or disinterest.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
This was a retrospective observational report with no control group or statistical analysis. Training pace and success criteria were decided subjectively by the trainer, not standardized. The device was not tested for functional mobility or daily living independence, only for basic recognition tasks. Dropout rates were high (12 of 29), so results apply only to those who tolerated the training.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The research was supported by the National Eye Institute (NIH) and was not funded by the device manufacturer.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the ability to recognize letters in a controlled lab setting as evidence that the device provides functional vision for daily activities. The study notes that recognition relied heavily on cognitive guessing and was fatiguing, with many participants dropping out or finding it impractical for regular use.