The goggles you mention that you would use to simulate vision loss... would you essentially be using paint in the center to simulate vision from mac degen? If so, one thing they will often do it tilt their head, and then turn their eyes to look through the clearer parts. All the low vision simulations I've done for presentations in the last 10 years, people have done that. Generally speaking, your control subjects are going to show better vision because their eyes can visually receive more information and there are ways to move the simulated vision loss out of the central vision (unless it is very large, or you control for it with something that can observe and track eye movement, or your volunteers are very strict to not cheat).

Unfortunately, people with mac degen don't automatically get used to it. In fact, the brain often reacts to significant vision loss by hallucinating.
https://www.macularsociety.org/macular-disease/macular-conditions/charles-bonnet-syndrome/

For some clients with central vision loss, learning eccentric viewing techniques can help them see a little more.
https://lowvision.preventblindness.org/2005/09/07/eccentric-viewing/

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