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Author Spotlight: An Automated Method for Assessing Visual Acuity in Infants and Toddlers Using an Eye-Tracking System
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Age norms for grating acuity and contrast sensitivity in children using eye tracking technology
E Esteban-Ibañez1, T Pérez-Roche2,3, E Prieto1,4
1Aragon Institute for Health Research (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.
International Ophthalmology
|October 8, 2021
Summary
A new digital device using eye tracking technology accurately assesses visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in children. This objective method is reliable for evaluating visual development from infancy.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Visual acuity is the primary method for assessing children's vision, but contrast sensitivity offers complementary data often overlooked in clinical practice.
- Digital devices offer advantages for evaluating visual function, enabling earlier and more comprehensive assessments of visual development.
- Eye tracking technology integrated with digital devices provides objective, rapid, and examiner-independent measurement of visual function in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish age-normative values for grating visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in healthy children using a digital device with eye tracking.
- To validate a grating acuity test (DIVE VA) against established methods in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Healthy children aged 6 months to 7 years underwent assessment of grating visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity (CS) using the DIVE (Device for an Integral Visual Examination) with eye tracking.
- A preferential gaze paradigm was employed to gather data for age-normative values.
- The DIVE VA test was validated by comparing its results with the LEA grating test (LGT) in children aged 6 months to 4 years.
Main Results:
- Both visual acuity and contrast sensitivity values demonstrated an increase with age, particularly within the first two years of life.
- Validation of the DIVE VA test showed good agreement with the LGT, especially in children under one year of age.
- The DIVE device proved to be an objective and reliable tool for assessing visual function parameters in children.
Conclusions:
- The DIVE device, incorporating eye tracking, offers an automatic, objective, and reliable method for assessing visual function in children.
- The digital approach enhances the evaluation of visual development, even in infants.
- The DIVE device shows strong agreement with traditional visual acuity tests, particularly in early childhood.
