Unmet Need
There is a need for very fast eye position sensors. Video systems are still too slow to be used for eye tracking in many demanding ophthalmologic and neurologic applications.
Technical Overview
Johns Hopkins faculty members, Dr. Boris Gramatikov and Dr. David Guyton, have invented a novel class of technologies for very fast detection of direction of gaze using retro-reflected light from the ocular fundus. These technologies will provide very fast eye trackers as well as gaze conjugacy detectors/analyzers. Some embodiments may be very cost-efficient, small and portable. With two such devices operating simultaneously, the variability of relative eye alignment over time can be measured (a measure of gaze conjugacy), without requiring individual calibration, and without requiring fixation on a specified target, ideal for use with small children. Such instruments will enjoy widespread application as noninvasive screening devices in infants and young children for defects of binocular function such as strabismus and amblyopia. The technology will also be used in patients of any age to detect subtle binocular neurologic deficits that occur with cerebellar or vestibular disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, in pediatric and adolescent psychiatry where eye trackers and fixation monitors may be used for diagnosing ADHD and autism, in Alzheimers disease research, in studying psychological health issues, Parkinsons disease, strokes, traumatic brain injury, concussions, some forms of reading disability, and simply fatigue or inebriation.
Stage of Development
Dr. Gramatikov has pre-clinical data validating the several different detector systems subject to this application, and have obtained encouraging results.
