LOW VISION DEVICES FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION 1 Low Vision Devices for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review Anne Macnamara, BPsy(Hons),1 Celia S. Chen, PhD,2 Andrew Davies, BASc,3 Charlotte Sloan,1 & Tobias Loetscher, PhD,1 1 Cognitive Ageing & Impairment Neurosciences Laboratory, UniSA Justice & Society, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia 2 College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders Medical Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia 3 Royal Society for the Blind, Adelaide, SA, Australia Corresponding author. Anne Macnamara Email:
[email protected] Postal address: Campus Central – Magill, University of South Australia, St Bernards Road, Magill SA 5072 LOW VISION DEVICES FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION 2 Abstract Significance: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative condition impacting central vision. Evaluating the effectiveness of low vision devices provides empirical evidence on how devices can overcome deficits caused by AMD and facilitates discussion on future improvements to vision enhancement technology. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted on the use of low vision devices in AMD populations. Relevant peer-reviewed research articles from six databases were screened. Results: The findings of thirty-five studies revealed a significant impact of low vision devices leading to improvements in visual acuity, reading performance, facial recognition, and more. While the studies were generally found to have a moderate risk of bias, a GRADE assessment of the evidence suggests that the general certainty of the evidence was low-moderate. Conclusions: A positive effect of low vision devices was found for visual acuity, reading performance, facial recognition, and more.