Beyond Prototypes: Challenges in Deploying XR Smart Glasses as Assistive Devices for People with Cerebral Visual Impairment

ICCV 2025 Workshop CV4A11y Submission5 Authors

Keywords: cerebral visual impairment, assistive technology, extended reality, augmented reality, smart glasses, deployment challenges

Abstract: Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) is set to become the leading cause of vision impairment but remains underrepresented in assistive technology research. eXtended Reality (XR) smart glasses show promise for supporting people with CVI understand and interact with their environment, and early studies indicate strong user interest. However, most solutions remain confined to lab settings and are not ready for real-world use. This paper identifies 40 interrelated challenges to deploying XR smart glasses as assistive tools for CVI. These are organised into three tiers—Foundation, System, and Interface—across nine high-level domains. The challenges span technical, design, and evaluation gaps that must be addressed to move beyond prototypes. We call on the computer vision, HCI, and systems communities to treat accessibility-driven deployment as a core design goal, supported by cross-disciplinary collaboration and real-world evaluation.

Submission Number: 5