Diagnosis of Visual Defects

We are creating an automatic tool for the diagnosis of visual defects in small children. The advances in eye tracking technology have opened up a whole new world of possibilities in this research area.

Diagnosing visual defects is specially challenging when the patient is a baby or a small child. The difficulty to communicate with small children makes it impossible to apply techniques designed for adults, such as reading letters out loud, and the methods that are currently being used to diagnose them are imprecise and inefficient. However, early detection of visual defects can make a big difference in the quality of life and cognitive development of children. For that reason, we are collaborating in a multidisciplinary project with ophthalmologists from the Miguel Servet Hospital (Zaragoza, Spain) to create a tool that can help diagnose visual defects in small children accurately and systematically. Eye tracking technology allows us to detect where the patient is looking at with high accuracy and precision. Coupling this technology with smartly designed simuli, we can perform several tests to evaluate the visual capacity of small children without the need for them to follow any specific instructions.