Supporting Individuals with Photophobia in VR: A Case Study of VR Shades, an Accessible VR Application Feature Prototype

Virtual reality (VR) is a predominantly visual medium, which can be challenging for individuals with visual disabilities. This is especially true for people with photophobia (i.e., light sensitivity), as brightness controls are mainly unavailable in VR applications. To address this inaccessibility, the authors developed VR Shades, a prototype VR application feature allowing users to modify visual light transmission (VLT) in VR applications. Huth participated in the case study; she has lattice degeneration, which led to dual retinal detachments. After surgical intervention, she experienced many permanent visual changes, including extreme photophobia. The study sought to understand if VR Shades could increase VR accessibility by providing VLT-level controls within the virtual environment. Results indicate that VR Shades can increase VR usage while decreasing recovery time. These findings contribute to the emerging field of accessible VR research, indicating that simple features can significantly impact people who find current VR technologies inaccessible.