A study on pain in blind and low vision individuals
Research has shown that blind or low-vision individuals are more sensitive to pain, and are more vigilant to painful stimuli. Research has also shown that hypersensitivity and hypervigilance are risk factors for chronic pain.
Even so, there is very little specific research on the problems caused by chronic pain in people with visual problems, and much less on the most appropriate treatments, or on the development of treatments, for the needs of this population.
Objectives
For these reasons the URV's Chair in Pediatric Pain, in collaboration with healthcare professionals and blind and low-vision people, is about to undertake a project to find data that will enable the following questions to be solved: 1) What are the most common pain problems?, and 2) What treatment needs do blind and low-vision individuals have? The aim is to develop better treatments, including those supported by mobile applications, that can improve the quality of life of individuals with visual problems who also suffer from pain. We intend it to be an international study, pain does not make any distinctions.
The aim of the project is to make the collected data available to all researchers in the world so that they can carry out studies in this field. The data will be open access. It is a collaborative project that aspires to be useful to all people with this type of problem, regardless of their gender, age, and nationality.
About the project
The project will be undertaken in three phases. The goals of the first phase are to identify common pain problems, their characteristics and treatment needs. The second has been designed specifically for blind and low-vision individuals, who also suffer from chronic pain. In this phase, more specific data will be collected on pain and the factors that are associated to chronic pain impact, which will be used to develop specific new treatments based on these factors. And the third will involve the development and study of the efficacy of specific treatments supported by mobile applications, which will be free and available to all who need them (healthcare professionals, patients, families, associations).
To participate in the first phase you can access here: survey.
If you are interested in collaborate with the project, you can donate here.
