Eye tracking reveals expert gaze patterns during intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Biotechnology
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a complex assisted reproductive technology requiring specialized skills.
• Current ICSI performance evaluation focuses on outcomes, neglecting operator-specific technical proficiency.
• Assessing intrinsic operator skills is crucial for improving ICSI training and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and compare the microinjection expertise of ICSI operators using eye-tracking technology.
• To identify objective metrics for evaluating ICSI technical skills based on gaze behavior.
• To explore the potential of eye-tracking data for developing AI-driven ICSI skill assessment tools.

Main Methods:

• Utilized eye-tracking technology to monitor and record the gaze patterns of experts and novices during microinjection.
• Compared procedural times, fixation durations, saccade counts, and gaze consistency between expert and novice groups.
• Analyzed heat maps and gaze plots to visualize and differentiate eye-gaze behaviors.

Main Results:

• Experts exhibited significantly shorter and more consistent procedural times compared to novices.
• Novices showed a gradual decrease in time but maintained unstable performance, especially during oocyte rotation.
• Eye-tracking data revealed distinct, efficient, and consistent gaze patterns in experts versus novices.

Conclusions:

• Eye-tracking technology provides objective insights into microinjection expertise during ICSI.
• Expertise in ICSI is characterized by efficient and stable eye-gaze patterns.
• The findings support the development of AI-driven systems for automated ICSI skill evaluation and technical assistance.