Visual and oculomotoric assessment with an eye-tracking head-mounted display

Conventional examination methods of the visual and oculomotor system, as conducted by ophthalmologists, have vulnerabilities. They are subjective, irreproducible and unsuitable for physically impaired subjects. This work aims to develop a tool with objective examination methods that deliver reproducible examination data on the subject's performance. Five examination methods are designed to assess the oculomotor eye movements and the visual capacity of a subject. The tool is developed in Unity and runs on a computer connected to the HMD FOVE, which has an integrated ET system. An autonomous working process examines the subjects, stores the related data and generates detailed graphical representations for medical assessments. For the evaluation, the technical aspects of the tool were analyzed and an interview with the experts from the Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry at the Medical University Vienna was held. The results showed a minimized human influence in the examination process, a standardized examination setup and great accessibility for bedridden subjects. However, the small field of view of the HMD limits the examination method on the visual field and restricts further development of the tool. New hardware should be evaluated in the future in order to overcome the current limitations. Moreover, examination methods regarding the pupil size would be a suitable addition to future research. In the near future, the tool could be tested as a screening method in medical facilities. This might reduce waiting times for the subjects and allow medical experts to work more efficiently.