V-Spy Scotoma: A Game Designed to Map and Detect Scotoma

Scotoma is a perceptual blind spot in the visual field. It is a progressive visual impairment commonly observed in the elderly population. The impairment affects daily life and restricts the patients' ability to perform tasks involving vision. As the traditional detection and mapping methods require medical professionals to operate in a clinical environment, the impairment often stays unnoticed or neglected until its later stages. Hence, an easy-to-access early detection and mapping method plays an essential role in reducing the time spent before seeking professional support. We designed, developed, and validated the gamified behavioral test V-Spy Scotoma (VSS) to promote early detection and intervention practices: VSS tracks patients' behavioral changes due to the blind spot to perform a quick and indirect assessment of the integrity of vision. It leverages the preference behavior to involve patients in the detection and mapping process indirectly. Given the simplistic design and low administration times, VSS aims to provide a quick assessment in at-home settings. The preliminary application was performed with 5 patients and 5 healthy participants to test the method's effectiveness. We observed differences in the target preference behavior and playing strategies. The findings suggest that VSS can be an effective initial detection method, opening the possibility of receiving faster medical help.