Directional eye fixation sensor using birefringence-based foveal detection

Appl Opt. 2007 Apr 1;46(10):1809-18. doi: 10.1364/ao.46.001809.

Abstract

We recently developed and reported an eye fixation monitor that detects the fovea by its radial orientation of birefringent nerve fibers. The instrument used a four-quadrant photodetector and a normalized difference function to check for a best match between the detector quadrants and the arms of the bow-tie pattern of polarization states surrounding the fovea. This function had a maximum during central fixation but could not tell where the subject was looking relative to the center. We propose a linear transformation to obtain horizontal and vertical eye position coordinates from the four photodetector signals, followed by correction based on a priori calibration information. The method was verified on both a computer model and on human eyes. The major advantage of this new eye-tracking method is that it uses true information coming from the fovea, rather than reflections from other structures, to identify the direction of foveal gaze.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Fixation, Ocular / physiology*
  • Fovea Centralis / anatomy & histology*
  • Fovea Centralis / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Refractometry / methods*
  • Transducers*