Microsaccades in applied environments: Real-world applications of fixational eye movement measurements

Across a wide variety of research environments, the recording of microsaccades and other fixational eye movements has provided insight and solutions into practical problems. Here we review the literature on fixational eye movements—especially microsaccades—in applied and ecologically-valid scenarios. Recent technical advances allow noninvasive fixational eye movement recordings in real-world contexts, while observers perform a variety of tasks. Thus, fixational eye movement measures have been obtained in a host of real-world scenarios, such as in connection with driver fatigue, vestibular sensory deprivation in astronauts, and elite athletic training, among others. Here we present the state of the art in the practical applications of fixational eye movement research, examine its potential future uses, and discuss the benefits of including microsaccade measures in existing eye movement detection technologies. Current evidence supports the inclusion of fixational eye movement measures in real-world contexts, as part of the development of new or improved oculomotor assessment tools. The real-world applications of fixational eye movement measurements will only grow larger and wider as affordable high-speed and high-spatial resolution eye trackers become increasingly prevalent.

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Fixation eye movement abnormalities and stereopsis recovery following strabismus repair

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93919-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Talora L. Martin ◽

Jordan Murray ◽

Kiran Garg ◽

Charles Gallagher ◽

Aasef G. Shaikh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Functional Improvement ◽

Slow Phase ◽

Fixational Eye Movements ◽

Movement Characteristics ◽

Adaptive Mechanisms ◽

Before And After ◽

Gaze Holding ◽

Fixational Saccades

AbstractWe evaluated the effects of strabismus repair on fixational eye movements (FEMs) and stereopsis recovery in patients with fusion maldevelopment nystagmus (FMN) and patients without nystagmus. Twenty-one patients with strabismus, twelve with FMN and nine without nystagmus, were tested before and after strabismus repair. Eye-movements were recorded during a gaze-holding task under monocular viewing conditions. Fast (fixational saccades and quick phases of nystagmus) and slow (inter-saccadic drifts and slow phases of nystagmus) FEMs and bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA) were analyzed in the viewing and non-viewing eye. Strabismus repair improved the angle of strabismus in subjects with and without FMN, however patients without nystagmus were more likely to have improvement in stereoacuity. The fixational saccade amplitudes and intersaccadic drift velocities in both eyes decreased after strabismus repair in subjects without nystagmus. The slow phase velocities were higher in patients with FMN compared to inter-saccadic drifts in patients without nystagmus. There was no change in the BCEA after surgery in either group. In patients without nystagmus, the improvement of the binocular function (stereopsis), as well as decreased fixational saccade amplitude and intersaccadic drift velocity, could be due, at least partially, to central adaptive mechanisms rendered possible by surgical realignment of the eyes. The absence of improvement in patients with FMN post strabismus repair likely suggests the lack of such adaptive mechanisms in patients with early onset infantile strabismus. Assessment of fixation eye movement characteristics can be a useful tool to predict functional improvement post strabismus repair.

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Sensory Deprivation: Arousal and Rapid Eye Movement Correlates of Some Effects

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1964.19.2.447 ◽

1964 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 447-451 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ascanio M. Rossi ◽

Allan Furhman ◽

Philip Solomon

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Sensory Deprivation ◽

Mental States ◽

Rapid Eye Movement ◽

Rapid Eye Movements ◽

Retrospective Reports

Three Ss in sensory deprivation were continuously monitored by electroencephalographic (EEG) and electrooculographic (EOG) recordings. Retrospective reports of their mental states were given upon receipt of a signal. Ratings of report contents were compared with EEG determined levels of arousal and with the occurrence of rapid eye movements (REMs). Results indicate that the incidences of hallucinations and thought disorganization vary inversely with level of arousal, and hallucinations are not accompanied by REMs as occurs during dreaming.

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Modeling the role of fixational eye movements in real-world scenes

Neurocomputing ◽

10.1016/j.neucom.2014.09.068 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 151 ◽

pp. 78-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Andrés Olmedo-Payá ◽

Antonio Martínez-Álvarez ◽

Sergio Cuenca-Asensi ◽

J.M. Ferrández ◽

E. Fernández

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Real World ◽

Fixational Eye Movements

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ORIENTATION IN SPACE, VESTIBULAR FUNCTION AND OCULAR TRACKING IN THE CHANGED GRAVITATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Aerospace and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.21687/0233-528x-2020-54-6-50-57 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (6) ◽

pp. 50-57

Author(s):

L.N. Kornilova ◽

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Spatial Perception ◽

Sensory Deprivation ◽

Space Station ◽

Vestibular Function ◽

Sensory Stimulation ◽

The Body ◽

Fixational Eye Movements ◽

Ocular Tracking ◽

The Impact

The paper reports results of the author's sensorimotor physiology studies made under the guidance of I.B.Kozlovskaya. The vestibular function and ocular tracking tests were performed by more than 100 cosmonauts prior to and after long-term missions to the Mir and International space station. Fifty two of them implemented these tests between mission days 129 to 215. We studies orientation illusions, spontaneous eye movements, static vestibulo-ocular response to head turns (static otolith-cervical reflex), dynamic vestibulo-ocular reactions to the head roll about the body axis, precision of fixational eye movements, and smooth tracking. Results of testing in the real changed gravity were compared with the data from 7 to 21-day simulation studies in horizontal dry immersion. The tests revealed 4 forms of vestibular disorders characterized by disturbances of spatial perception, orientation illusions, inversions of vection illusions, weakening of static and strengthening of dynamic vestibulo-ocular reactions, a new visual tracking strategy termed a saccadic approximation, that is the gaze approaches or tracks a target using a series of saccadic movements. In addition, the tests made it possible to specify the impact of afferentation deficit (sensory deprivation) on accuracy of ocular and ocular-manual tracking and validate additional sensory stimulation as a method to counteract the effects of sensory deprivation in real and simulated microgravity.

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Eye movements in Daphnia pulex (De Geer)

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.62.1.175 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 62 (1) ◽

pp. 175-187

Author(s):

BJ Frost

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Fourier Analysis ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Horizontal Plane ◽

High Speed ◽

Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽

Sagittal Plane ◽

Daphnia Pulex ◽

Saccadic Eye Movements ◽

Fourth Harmonic

1. The various types of eye movement exhibited by the cyclopean eye of Daphnia pulex were studied using high speed motion photography. 2. This rudimentary eye, which consists of only 22 ommatidia, can move through approximately 150 degrees in the sagittal plane and 60 degrees in the horizontal plane. 3. Four classes of eye movement were found: (1) a high speed tremor at 16 Hz with an amplitude of 3-4 degrees, which resembles physiological nystagmus, (2) a slow rhythmic scanning movement at 4 Hz, and 5-6 degrees amplitude, (3) large fast eye movements similar to saccadic eye movements and (4) optokinetic nystagmus produced by moving striped patterns. 4. Where the fast tremor occurred concurrently with the slow rhythmic scan, a Fourier analysis revealed that the former was the fourth harmonic of the latter.

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Individual Differences Between Observers in Face Matching

10.31234/osf.io/yznxf ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Bate ◽

Natalie Mestry ◽

Emma Portch

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Real World ◽

Face Processing ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Face Matching ◽

Standard Assessment ◽

Assessment Tasks ◽

Matching Performance ◽

Current Terminology

Increasing evidence suggests vast individual differences in face matching performance in both lay perceivers and relevant professionals. However, the field is hampered by a paucity of psychometric-standard assessment tasks. This chapter reviews the current evidence supporting individual differences in face matching, in light of the reliability of the available tools. The potential underpinnings of these individual differences are reviewed, alongside the overlap between different continua of face-processing skills. Given so-called ‘super-recognisers’ may offer a powerful security tool in relevant settings, the identification and deployment of these individuals are critically discussed. In particular, the reliability and appropriateness of current terminology and assessment tools are considered, together with potential limitations in the performance of even the strongest face matchers. While the current conceptualisation of super-recognition can no doubt advance academic theory, this approach may not adequately identify the best individuals for real-world forensic face matching tasks.

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Using eye tracking to investigate what bilinguals notice about linguistic landscape images

Linguistic Landscape ◽

10.1075/ll.17014.vin ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 226-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Naomi Vingron ◽

Jason W. Gullifer ◽

Julia Hamill ◽

Jakob Leimgruber ◽

Debra Titone

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Tracking ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Real World ◽

Preliminary Data ◽

Daily Life ◽

Visual Input ◽

Linguistic Landscape ◽

Scene Viewing ◽

Preliminary Study

Abstract In daily life, we experience dynamic visual input referred to as the “linguistic landscape” (LL), comprised of images and text, for example, signs, and billboards (Gorter, 2013; Landry & Bourhis, 1997; Shohamy, Ben-Rafael and Barni 2010). While much is known about LLs descriptively, less is known about what people notice when viewing LLs. Building upon the bilingual eye movement reading literature (e.g., Whitford, Pivneva, & Titone, 2016) and the scene viewing literature (e.g., Henderson & Ferreira, 2004), we report a preliminary study of French-English bilinguals’ eye movements as they viewed LL images from Montréal. These preliminary data suggest that eye tracking is a promising new method for investigating how people with different language backgrounds process real-world LL images.

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Using Eye Movements to Understand how Security Screeners Search for Threats in X-Ray Baggage

Vision ◽

10.3390/vision3020024 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 24

Author(s):

Nick Donnelly ◽

Alex Muhl-Richardson ◽

Hayward Godwin ◽

Kyle Cave

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Real World ◽

X Ray ◽

Baggage Screening ◽

Tracking Eye Movements

There has been an increasing drive to understand failures in searches for weapons and explosives in X-ray baggage screening. Tracking eye movements during the search has produced new insights into the guidance of attention during the search, and the identification of targets once they are fixated. Here, we review the eye-movement literature that has emerged on this front over the last fifteen years, including a discussion of the problems that real-world searchers face when trying to detect targets that could do serious harm to people and infrastructure.

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Fixational eye movements abnormalities and rate of visual acuity and stereoacuity improvement with part time patching

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79077-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Matteo Scaramuzzi ◽

Jordan Murray ◽

Paolo Nucci ◽

Aasef G. Shaikh ◽

Fatema F. Ghasia

Keyword(s):

Visual Acuity ◽

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Duration Of Treatment ◽

Fixational Eye Movements ◽

Infantile Nystagmus ◽

Part Time ◽

Stereo Acuity ◽

Clinical Subtype

AbstractResidual amblyopia is seen in 40% of amblyopic patients treated with part-time patching. Amblyopic patients with infantile onset strabismus or anisometropia can develop fusion maldevelopment nystagmus syndrome (FMNS). The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of presence of FMNS and clinical subtype of amblyopia on visual acuity and stereo-acuity improvement in children treated with part-time patching. Forty amblyopic children who had fixation eye movement recordings and at least 12 months of follow-up after initiating part-time patching were included. We classified amblyopic subjects per the fixational eye movements characteristics into those without any nystagmus, those with FMNS and patients with nystagmus without any structural anomalies that do not meet the criteria of FMNS or idiopathic infantile nystagmus. We also classified the patients per the clinical type of amblyopia. Patching was continued until amblyopia was resolved or no visual acuity improvement was noted at two consecutive visits. Children with anisometropic amblyopia and without FMNS have a faster improvement and plateaued sooner. Regression was only seen in patients with strabismic/mixed amblyopia particularly those with FMNS. Patients with FMNS had improvement in visual acuity but poor stereopsis with part-time patching and required longer duration of treatment.

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Fixational eye movement waveforms in amblyopia: Characteristics of fast and slow eye movements

Journal of Eye Movement Research ◽

10.16910/jemr.12.6.9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sarah Linda Kang ◽

Sinem B. Beylergil ◽

Jorge Otero-Millan ◽

Aasef Shaikh ◽

Fatema Ghasia

Keyword(s):

Visual Acuity ◽

Eye Movements ◽

Eye Movement ◽

Treatment Effectiveness ◽

Eye Diseases ◽

Fixational Eye Movements ◽

Fixation Stability ◽

Slow Eye Movements ◽

Fixational Saccades ◽

The Impact

Fixational eye movements comprise of fast microsaccades alternating with slow inter-saccadic drifts. These physiologic eye movements play an important role in visual perception. Amblyopic patients are known to have fixation instability, particularly of the amblyopic eye. We examined eye movement abnormalities that contribute to this instability. We found that fixation stability is affected by the presence of fusion maldevelopment nystagmus (FMN). However, some amblyopes can have nystagmus without nasally directed slow phases and reversal in direction of the quick phase on ocular occlusion, features seen in FMN. In patients without nystagmus, we found increased amplitude of fixational saccades and inter-saccadic drifts. We categorized amblyopia patients by type (anisometropic, strabismic, or mixed) and eye movement waveform (no nystagmus, nystagmus without FMN, and FMN). We found specific fast and slow eye movement abnormalities of the fellow and amblyopic eye during fellow, amblyopic and both eyes viewing conditions across eye movement waveforms and types of amblyopia. These eye movement abnormalities can serve as biomarkers that can predict the impact of amblyopia as measured by visual acuity and stereopsis. Evaluation of fixational eye movements in amblyopia could be important to diagnose these common eye diseases and predict treatment effectiveness.

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