Current SAP devices are not well-suited for glaucoma case-finding, due to being bulky, expensive, and often challenging to administer.
3 The present study proposes and evaluates a novel alternative (“Eyecatcher”): a portable, suprathreshold eye-movement perimeter, which uses an inexpensive “clip-on” eye-tracker to detect eye movements toward successive targets (Goldmann III white lights). Unlike traditional SAP—or alternatives such as Frequency Doubling Technology,
44–46 Flicker Perimetry,
47 or Rarebit Perimetry
48–50—this new approach requires minimal task-instructions, and does not require the participant to press a button or maintain fixation on a central marker. And unlike other eye-movement perimeters,
12–17 Eyecatcher is intended primarily as a case-finding tool, and can be deployed using only a portable tablet-computer and low cost eye-tracking device (∼$100). This makes it potentially well-suited to rapidly identifying cases of suspected visual field loss, even in traditionally difficult to test populations.
Overall, the results showed that the approach is feasible, and that Eyecatcher shows promise as a rapid case-identification tool for visual field loss. Most individuals were able to complete the test with minimal difficulty, and the results showed good concordance with values derived from SAP (HFA). Our participants also reported a clear preference for Eyecatcher over SAP and this is particularly noteworthy. We consider each of these findings in turn, and discuss important caveats.
In terms of completion rates, all participants were able to perform the Eyecatcher test in at least one eye. However, two eyes with severe loss could not be tested: one because their vision was too poor to see the screen (ID 8/R), and the other because the eye-tracker was unable to track their eye through the patient's −12.5 diopter lenses (ID 17/R). Failures of this kind are not a substantial concern for our proposed case-finding device, since individuals with such severe vision loss would be expected to be receiving care already. However, the fact that eye-movement perimetry is not always possible would be important to bear in mind if considering it as a like-for-like replacement for current SAP devices.
There was good consistency between the results of Eyecatcher and HFA. Although the two tests are not equivalent (Eyecatcher measures hit rate for a fixed threshold stimulus, whereas the HFA measures detection thresholds), overall loss was nevertheless strongly correlated between the two tests (
Fig. 4), and there was also good concordance between defects at individual pointwise locations (∼84%). Concordance was particularly high in healthy controls (95%), with relatively few locations misclassified as defects. In patients, concordance scores were still reasonable (78%), but the precise shape and location of the field loss was not always perfectly preserved, and there was in particular a tendency for the spatial extent of the vision loss to be overestimated. This could be due to a number of factors, including the limited spatiotemporal precision of the eye-tracker, or imperfect gaze-calibration. We believe, however, that the current implementation represents a good compromise between accuracy, cost, and test duration. For example, even without any refinement this feasibility study has illustrated that Eyecatcher can reliably detect moderate visual field loss, which is important for effective case finding.
In terms of usability, participants rated Eyecatcher as more enjoyable, easier to perform, and less tiring than SAP, and found it less hard to concentrate on than SAP. Participants also reported good task-comprehension on both tests (though this was to be expected in the case of SAP, as they all had existing prior experience of performing the test). These findings are particularly important and encouraging, because effective case finding depends on ease-of-use. The results are also consistent with a recent study by McTrusty and colleagues,
14 which also found eye-movement perimetry to be more comfortable than traditional SAP, most likely due to the participant being able to move their eyes and head during the test.
In terms of test duration, Eyecatcher was faster than the HFA (5.1 vs. 6.9 minutes). However, the difference was modest considering the fact that Eyecatcher used a smaller grid, and used fixed-luminance stimuli (i.e., is a suprathreshold test, whereas the HFA estimates exact thresholds). Furthermore, test durations were substantially longer than other proposed screening measures, such as Frequency Doubling Technology (∼1 minute
46,47,51,52). That test durations were not shorter in part reflects the fact that Eyecatcher required additional time to calibrate the eye-tracker, and also the fact that each target location was tested multiple times (four) to compensate for potential eye-tracking error. However, the relatively long test duration (∼5 minutes) is a limitation of the present test. We are currently exploring ways to reduce tests times, including improved calibration algorithms, and more efficient testing algorithms: for example, a single response may be sufficient if it is consistent with previous responses to neighboring locations. It is also worth noting that the intuitive nature of eye-movement perimetry saves time in a way that is not captured by traditional test duration metrics. Thus, with SAP, substantial additional time is required to explain the test and position the patient appropriately. With Eyecatcher, these requirements are largely eliminated, potentially allowing for more substantial time savings overall.
Further work is required to establish decision boundaries for the present test. Thus, it was encouraging that, even by casual inspection, there was a clear difference between healthy and affected eyes (
Fig. 3), with minimal “false positive” red areas in the healthy controls. In the longer term though, for a test to be of practical utility there must exist a clear, formal procedure for mapping any results to the appropriate clinical decision: in this case, whether or not to refer the patient for further testing. The most straightforward way to do this would be to establish a “traffic light” system (mild / moderate / severe loss) based on normative limits. Alternatively, machine learning could be used to detect abnormal field-loss patterns, using the same basic techniques as those used elsewhere for classifying retinal images.
53,54 Of course, in either case, a much larger sample of patients will be required.
A potential limitation of the present device is its restricted spatial range (the majority of stimuli were presented within ±15° horizontal, and ±9° vertical). In practice, the spatial range appeared sufficient to reliably discriminate between cases of glaucoma and age-similar controls, and this is consistent with a growing body of work indicating substantial central and paracentral impairments in glaucoma.
55,56 It is conceivable, however, that individuals with a localized defect in the far periphery might be missed using the present device. Furthermore, it is important to note that the test was conducted under laboratory conditions. It remains an open question how well the test will perform in real clinical environments where, for example, one has less control over the ambient lighting conditions and the presence of potential distractors. Equally, it is not possible to assess at present how robust the test is to operator error, and whether, for example, rigorous training is required to ensure that the screen and eye-tracker are positioned correctly (e.g., in order to maintain an appropriate viewing angle and accurate determination of gaze). Finally, it is also important to note that the present study used a self-selecting subset of individuals who are likely to be relatively compliant and motivated. It remains to be seen how robust Eyecatcher is when applied to a larger, more diverse cohort, including, in particular, individuals who may be highly inattentive or malingering. It would also be instructive to evaluate the device with other conditions associated with visual field loss, such as diabetes, retinal dystrophies, and neurological disoders.
57,58 We are currently investigating all of these factors by undertaking a more extensive evaluation of the device in an everyday clinical environment. We are also encouraged by the fact that many of these potential concerns can also be addressed in future by emerging technologies. For example, the same basic test could be deployed on a VR headset with an enclosed screen and integrated eye-tracking. This would allow extremely wide fields of view, complete control over ambient lighting, and real-time tracking of head-position, eye-position, gaze, and pupil size—all of which could be used as potential biomarkers for attentiveness/compliance.
59,60
In terms of potential applications, Eyecatcher is primarily intended as a rapid, portable case-finding device, for use in community settings where specialist equipment/expertise is unavailable. In this respect, the fact that Eyecatcher is quick, cheap, does not require any physical contact with the participant, and does not require any explicit task instructions, makes it particularly attractive. Its portability and low cost also makes it well-suited to other situations where traditional SAP is unaffordable or impractical, for example for use in home monitoring,
20 or in developing countries. Finally, this work spotlights the principle of using inexpensive eye tracking technology to “automatically” assess vision, leading to examinations that are far less demanding, and require less co-operation from the person being examined. Notably, the same basic equipment can also be used to test other aspects of vision. For example, by replacing spots of light with gratings of variable spatial-frequency, acuity can be measured.
10 This approach could be particularly useful for populations who are currently hard to test, such as children, the very old or infirm, stroke patients, or individuals with cognitive impairments.