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Visual System

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Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

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Rett syndrome: basic features of visual processing-a pilot study of eye-tracking.

Aleksandra Djukic¹, Maria Valicenti McDermott, Kathleen Mavrommatis

¹Rett Syndrome Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, NY 10467, USA. adjukic@montefiore.org

Pediatric Neurology

|June 19, 2012

Summary

Eye-tracking technology reveals that girls with Rett syndrome (RS) possess significant nonverbal cognitive and visual processing skills. These findings suggest eye-tracking is a viable tool for assessing the hidden abilities of individuals with RS.

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Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

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Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism

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Published on: March 27, 2012

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Ophthalmology

Background:

Rett syndrome (RS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting girls, characterized by apraxia, limiting verbal and manual communication.
The "strong eye gaze" observed in individuals with RS has not been formally validated as a communication method.
Assessing cognitive and visual processing abilities in RS is challenging due to communication impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate nonverbal cognitive abilities and visual processing (discrimination, attention, memory) in girls with Rett syndrome.
To validate eye-tracking as a method for assessing visual fixation patterns in this population.
To uncover potential "hidden" cognitive abilities in individuals with RS.

Main Methods:

Utilized a TS120 eye-tracker to analyze visual fixation patterns in 44 girls with Rett syndrome and compare them with typical controls.
Presented participants with multiple pictures, varying salient stimuli and novel stimuli presence/location.
Collected and analyzed visual fixation data from participants who successfully calibrated the eye-tracker (35 out of 44).

Main Results:

Girls with Rett syndrome demonstrated longer fixation on salient stimuli compared to shapes (P = 0.02).
They showed recognition of novel stimuli by decreasing fixation time on a central image when a peripheral image appeared (P = 0.002).
80% of participants with RS successfully calibrated and provided meaningful visual fixation data.

Conclusions:

Eye-tracking is a feasible method for cognitive assessment in individuals with Rett syndrome.
This technology provides valuable insights into the often "hidden" cognitive and visual processing abilities of those with RS.
Findings support the potential of eye-tracking for understanding communication and cognition in neurodevelopmental disorders.