Intention, Identity, Reliability and Amplification Risk in XR-based Low-Vision Aids

Emergent computational platforms such as consumer-grade eXtended Reality (XR) devices have expanded the capacity to mediate human perception across visual, auditory, and haptic interfaces. This offers transformative potential for intelligent assistive platforms. Yet adoption depends not solely on technical capability, but on alignment with users' intentions, identities, and everyday life. We report findings from a participatory workshop involving blind or low vision individuals (BLV) and low-vision specialists (LVS). Using artefact-based reflexive thematic analysis of participant and facilitator documentation, and post-workshop reflections [1], we identify three interrelated tensions shaping adoption of XR-based visual aids: (1) intention misalignment, (2) identity negotiation, and (3) conditional engagement grounded in reliability and access. While these tensions are not unique to XR, full-field perceptual mediation amplifies their consequences. Drawing on gaze-interactive and intention-aware low-vision smart-glasses work [6], and prior studies with low-vision users [3, 10, 15], we outline implications for the design of responsible XR-based aids.