Episode 3 • September 9, 2026
Practitioner Diaries: What I Got Wrong about Eccentric Viewing Training
Erika Andersen Ko Connects the EFFECT Study to the Biopsychosocial Model
About This Episode
What do you do when a randomized controlled trial finds no benefit from a clinical practice you’ve used with success for years? Host Erika Andersen Ko, certified low vision therapist, shares how the aftermath of the EFFECT study on eccentric viewing training led her to Psychologically Informed Practice, a framework rooted in the biopsychosocial model of care, and what she hopes the framework can do for the field of blindness and low vision.
This is the first episode of Practitioner Diaries, a recurring format that goes behind the scenes with a low vision practitioner working on implementing a specific strategy over time. Erika goes first.
Topics & Timestamps
You can use the chapter markers in the podcast player to jump to these topics.
01:39 — Who Practitioner Diaries Is For
02:44 — EFFECT Study and Eccentric Viewing Training in My Sphere
04:26 — My Dilemma
05:19 — Questions of Rigor
8:00 — Not Having Language Matters
09:15 — Finding Psychologically Informed Practice
13:33 — R.I.P., EVT and an Invitation
Resources & References
Rubin, G. S., Crossland, M. D., Dunbar, H. M. P., et al. (2024). Eccentric viewing training for age-related macular disease: Results of a randomized controlled trial (the EFFECT study). Ophthalmology Science, 4 (2), Article 100422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xops.2023.100422
Cantin, S., Lapointe-Girard, L., Boisvert, I., Renaud, J., & Wittich, W. (2025). Re: Rubin et al: Eccentric viewing training for age-related macular disease: Results of a randomized controlled trial (the EFFECT study). Ophthalmology Science, 5 (2), Article 100645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xops.2024.100645
Review of Optometry. (2023, November 6). Macular disease progress overwhelms eccentric viewing training. https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/news/article/macular-disease-progress-overwhelms-eccentric-viewing-training
Main, C. J., & George, S. Z. (2011). Psychologically informed practice for management of low back pain: Future directions in practice and research. Physical Therapy, 91 (5), 820–824. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20110060
Demmin, D. L., & Silverstein, S. M. (2020). Visual impairment and mental health: Unmet needs and treatment options. Clinical Ophthalmology, 14 , 4229–4251. https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S258783
Thurston, M., Warden, R., Thurston, C., Hawkins, A., & Bird, H. (2025). The mental health of people with visual impairments and related interventions: A scoping review from 2016 to 2023. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 119 (5), 392–405. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X251384663
Stalin, A., Miller, A., van der Aa, H. P. A., et al. (2026). The evolving landscape of vision rehabilitation: Current status and future directions. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44402-026-00088-2
Warren, M. (2017). Pre-reading and writing exercises for persons with macular scotoma. visABILITIES Rehab Services. https://courses.visabilities.com/free-resources/
