Purpose: This study sought to quantify the training and the asymptotic efficiency of novice users of spectacle-mounted bioptic telescopes.
Methods: Fifteen subjects with simulated 20/200 central acuity were fitted with bioptic telescopes. We measured the speed with which subjects were able to use a bioptic telescope to locate and identify a small letter, which was presented peripherally in a crowded array of letters at +/-45 degrees eccentricity. Both the target onset and its location were random. Subjects participated in four experimental sessions for a total of 500 (short session group) or 1000 trials (long session group).
Results: After training, the letter recognition speed with a bioptic telescope decreased by about 800 ms. Most of the improvement, however, occurred within the first approximately 150 trials. There were no systematic differences between groups. The asymptotic recognition speed with a bioptic telescope was about 1000 ms, 450 ms longer than the recognition speed in the same task but with 20/20 vision. Preliminary measurements suggest that these learning effects persist over a period of several years.
Conclusions: Evidently, novice users can quickly acquire proficiency in using a spectacle-mounted bioptic telescope. This task could be used to train new bioptic telescope users in a safe environment and to evaluate their progress.