Monday, November 3, 2025 11/3/2025

CARE Study: Community Access through Remote Eyesight

Award Number: 90DPGE0012
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY, INDEPENDENT LIVING, AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH
OPDIV: ACL
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: OTHER
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/30/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/29/2023

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CARE Study: Community Access through Remote Eyesight - The New England College of Optometry, in partnership with the University of California Los Angeles, presents the Community Access through Remote Eyesight (CARE) Study: a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of a novel mobile technology, Aira, to improve quality of life in older adults with low vision by expanding community access and providing assistance with activities of daily living. Aira provides real-time remote personal assistance through a sighted Aira agent providing direct feedback to assist with visual tasks. Our objectives are to evaluate Aira in a wide range of visual disability, categorized into three groups: (1) mild to moderate visual acuity loss, (2) severe to profound visual acuity loss and (3) legal blindness secondary to visual field loss. Participants will be randomized to either 6-month intervention group: (1) ‘restricted’ access (current open access areas plus 30 minutes/month anywhere); or (2) ‘unrestricted’ access (≤700 minutes). Prior to randomization there will be a 3-month run-in period, to serve as a control. Outcome measures will include assessment of changes at three and six months post-intervention for: visual ability, health state (including depression), self-efficacy, loneliness, life space, distances travelled from the home and types of services obtained. We will elucidate factors related to improvements in patient outcomes in order to develop a profile of patients who are most likely to benefit from this technology. This study seeks to understand the potential of this technology to improve daily activities, community participation, independence and self-sufficiency in this group by examining a technological approach, which has not yet undergone rigorous investigation in a diverse population of older adults with visual impairment.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$172,714 )
2025	2021	THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY	424 Beacon Street	Boston	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	02	3	10/9/2024	ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT ( + OR - ) (DISCRETIONARY OR BLOCK AWARDS)	$0
2025	2020	THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY	424 Beacon Street	Boston	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	02	3	10/9/2024	ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPLEMENT ( + OR - ) (DISCRETIONARY OR BLOCK AWARDS)	-$172,714
														Subtotal = -$172,714

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2021	THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	01	3	9/29/2022	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$0
2022	2019	THE NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	01	3	9/29/2022	EXTENSION WITH OR WITHOUT FUNDS	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $440,515 )
2021	2021	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	00	3	7/23/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$440,515
2021	2020	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	01	2	11/16/2020	OTHER REVISION	$0
2021	2020	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	02	2	3/9/2021	OTHER REVISION	$0
2021	2020	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	00	3	7/23/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2021	2019	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	02	2	3/9/2021	OTHER REVISION	$0
2021	2019	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	00	3	7/23/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $440,515

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $444,443 )
2020	2020	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	00	2	8/31/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$444,443
2020	2019	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	01	1	12/31/2019	OTHER REVISION	$0
2020	2019	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	02	1	1/31/2020	OTHER REVISION	$0
														Subtotal = $444,443

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $444,341 )
2019	2019	NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY, THE	424 BEACON ST	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research	00	1	9/24/2019	NEW	$444,341
														Subtotal = $444,341

Grand Total All Awards = $1,156,585

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CARE Study: Community Access through Remote Eyesight

Award Number: 90DPGE0012

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY, INDEPENDENT LIVING, AND REHABILITATION RESEARCH

OPDIV: ACL

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: OTHER

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/30/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/29/2023

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