Abstract: At present, the main indicators for assessing the orientation and mobility (O&M) ability of visually impaired patients include percentage of preferred walking speed, number of contacts with obstacles, number of directional deviations, other efficiency indicators, self-assessment, safety indicators, and the assessment environment. The application of O&M ability assessment includes understanding the prognosis of different visually impaired patients and evaluating the effectiveness of various assistive devices. The O&M ability of patients with severe visual impairment can be assessed using the orientation and mobility for very low vision test battery (O&M-VLV), while patients with inherited retinal dystrophies require the multi-luminance mobility test (MLMT). The assessment of O&M ability in visually impaired patients can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of assistive tools such as three-dimensional tactile maps and different navigation systems.

Key words: Visual Impairment, Orientation and mobility