A Feasibility Study of Tablet-Based Eye Movement Assessment Using a Built-In Camera: A Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Conventional visual function assessments are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring ocular conditions.
• Traditional eye movement assessments can be time-consuming and require specialized equipment.
• Tablet-based applications offer a potential for accessible and portable visual function testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot-test a tablet PC-based application for assessing eye movements.
• To investigate the functional sensitivity of tablet-based ocular motor metrics to variations in conventional visual function parameters.
• To explore the feasibility of using tablet-based eye movement assessment for screening and monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Developed a tablet PC-based application for eye movement assessment.
• Recruited 23 healthy adults to perform smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movement tests at three difficulty levels.
• Stratified participants based on conventional visual function test results for exploratory analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in smooth pursuit traversal time and velocity were observed across difficulty levels (p < 0.05).
• Saccadic movements showed significant mean accuracy differences between difficulty levels (p < 0.05).
• Higher horizontal phoria and specific near convergence amplitude points correlated with altered smooth pursuit and saccadic performance (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Tablet-based ocular motor metrics demonstrated exploratory associations with conventional visual function measures in healthy adults.
• The developed application shows potential as a feasible, low-cost tool for exploratory screening and functional monitoring of eye movements.
• Further validation is required to establish its role as a diagnostic tool.