Scanning for sight
In homonymous hemianopia (HH), half of the visual field is missing. This makes everyday activities, such as walking, cycling, and crossing the street, more challenging. Our research examined how people with HH use their eyes and head to move around safely. A literature review was performed combined with experiments in Virtual Reality (VR). In VR, people without HH were temporarily given a simulated visual field loss to study spontaneous adaptations.The results show that in these test environments people with HH often adapt better than expected. In VR, they were able to cross streets and cycle just as safely as people without visual impairments. This suggests that hemianopia does not always have to be a permanent, major limitation.However, not every adaptation is effective. Some people, for example, spontaneously look more often toward their blind side while cycling or make shorter eye movements while driving, without actually detecting more traffic. Effective scanning is situation specific: strategies that help when crossing the street do not always help when cycling. Slowing down your speed can also play a role.Compensation training could focus on scanning more broadly, using strategies suited to the situation, and unlearning ineffective habits. The current VR has limitations, such as misperception of distances and speed, and a smaller field of view compared to the real-world. Therefore, VR should be used for practicing specific components of mobility activities.With the right strategies and training, many people with hemianopia can continue to participate in traffic safely and independently.