This study evaluated the feasibility of collecting passive and active digital phenotyping data using the OverSight iOS application in individuals with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), and explored associations between digital behavioural markers, visual function, and mental health. Participants with IRDs were recruited from Moorfields Eye Hospital (UK) and followed for 12 months. OverSight passively captures mobility data through HealthKit and typing-derived metrics through SensorKit. Participants completed patient-reported outcome measures (EQ-5D, NEI-VFQ-25, HADS, and MRDQ) within the app. Passive data included step count, walking speed, typing speed, total words typed, autocorrections, and sentiment word categories (anxiety, down, and health-related terms). Feasibility indices included enrolment, retention, and completeness of passive datastreams. Twenty-five participants were enrolled and 92% were retained at 12 months. Seventeen participants met the validity threshold for HealthKit data and 16 also met SensorKit thresholds. Median daily step count was 6,087, walking speed 1.18 m/s, and typing speed 2.19 characters/s. Age was negatively correlated with typing speed and anxiety-related word use, and photopic peripheral visual difficulty was negatively correlated with anxiety-and down-related word use. Digital phenotyping using OverSight was feasible over 12 months. Exploratory analysis suggest mobility, typing behaviour and sentiment markers may represent useful adjunctive indicators of functional vision and psychological outcomes in patients with IRDs.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study was funded by UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (grant number ES/W006510/1), Wellcome Trust (grant number 205174/Z//16/Z), Thomas Pocklington Trust, and the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre. The funder played no role in study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of data, or the writing of this manuscript.

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

North West Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee (22/NW/0328) gave ethical approval for this work.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

De-identified data may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and subject to institutional data sharing agreements.