Head-Unrestrained Eye Movements in Macular Degeneration: a Story in 3 Parts

Natela Shanidze, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
Zoom meeting: https://berkeley.zoom.us/j/91202816466?pwd=aElmL0F3RzBxbmowRHNsTlJvbDJ1QT09
Meeting ID: 912 0281 6466
Passcode: Oxyopia
Loss of the central retina, including the fovea (for example due to macular degeneration, MD), can lead to a loss of visual acuity and oculomotor deficits and thus have profound effects on day-to-day tasks. Computer vision-based developments in wearable eye tracking devices make them an attractive solution for studies of eye movements during naturalistic head/body motion and allow researchers to extend studies in this population to a broader set of daily tasks and more naturalistic behaviors and settings. First, I will show the results of our own study looking at head-unrestrained smooth pursuit in individuals with MD and what we learned about eye-head coordination in this population. The study has also provided us with insights into how MD-related changes, such as eccentric fixation provide additional challenges for calibration and collection of head-unrestrained eye movement data using current technology. Before these “systems'” potential can be fully realized, a thorough assessment of potential sources of error is needed. In the second part of my talk, I will focus on three possible sources of error for general data collection: camera motion during head/body motion, choice of calibration marker configuration, and eye movement estimation. Finally, focusing on the MD population, I will show decreases in calibration accuracy relative to fixation eccentricity and discuss a robotic calibration and validation tool we are developing in the lab that may allow for future developments of calibration and tracking algorithms designed with these individuals in mind.