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Evaluation of a new technique to evaluate the visual pursuit in infants
Author(s) -
MONTEIRO K,
CHARLIER J,
DEFOORTDHELLEMMES S
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2012.4472.x
Subject(s) - nystagmus , gaze , smooth pursuit , saccadic masking , orientation (vector space) , computer vision , eye movement , eye tracking , pupil , optometry , visual acuity , artificial intelligence , medicine , audiology , computer science , psychology , ophthalmology , mathematics , neuroscience , geometry
Purpose This study presents a new technique for recording visual pursuit and its evaluation. In infants, visual acuity is usually estimated using behavioral methods. Nowadays, an objective response can be recorded using eye trackers based on the corneal reflex and pupil positions. However, these systems have limitations, such as large eye eccentricity and parasite reflections on tears or eyeglasses. To avoid these constraints, a new technique has been developed and evaluated. Methods The system is composed of a stimulation monitor equipped with a near infra‐red light source and a video camera. A real‐time analysis of the video identifies the head position, using a reflective dot placed between the patient’s eyes. The gaze orientation is obtained from the relative position of the reflective dot and the eye pupils. Clinical tests were carried out on 90 infants (3 months to 4 years). Gabor type stimuli moving along the horizontal axis were presented while head and eye movements were recorded. Results Visual pursuit was recorded in 84 infants, some of them with nystagmus or large eye deviation. The visual tracking patterns matched with the literature, i.e. saccadic for the youngest ages and smooth in older normal children. Conclusion Results show that the new technique is robust and efficient for recording infants’ visual pursuit under clinical conditions. Further tests are planned to evaluate if visual acuity estimation agrees with clinical exams.Commercial interest