Eye-tracking in Mixed Reality for Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Parkinson’s disease ranks as the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder globally. This research aims to develop a system leveraging Mixed Reality capabilities for tracking and assessing eye movements. In this paper, we present a medical scenario and outline the development of an application designed to capture eye-tracking signals through Mixed Reality technology for the evaluation of neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, we introduce a pipeline for extracting clinically relevant features from eye-gaze analysis, describing the capabilities of the proposed system from a medical perspective. The study involved a cohort of healthy control individuals and patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, showcasing the feasibility and potential of the proposed technology for non-intrusive monitoring of eye movement patterns for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases.Clinical relevance— Developing a non-invasive biomarker for Parkinson’ s disease is urgently needed to accurately detect the disease’s onset. This would allow for the timely introduction of neuroprotective treatment at the earliest stage and enable the continuous monitoring of intervention outcomes. The ability to detect subtle changes in eye movements allows for early diagnosis, offering a critical window for intervention before more pronounced symptoms emerge. Eye tracking provides objective and quantifiable biomarkers, ensuring reliable assessments of disease progression and cognitive function. The eye gaze analysis using Mixed Reality glasses is wireless, facilitating convenient assessments in both home and hospital settings. The approach offers the advantage of utilizing hardware that requires no additional specialized attachments, enabling examinations through personal eyewear

I. Introduction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 10 million individuals worldwide [1]. Identifying and characterizing biomarkers for PD have become increasingly important for early diagnosis and effective disease monitoring. Recently, the analysis of eye movements became a significant research field among the potential biomarkers, mostly due to the potential to provide insights into the neuronal mechanisms and pathways involved in PDF pathogenesis. In Mixed Reality (MR) glasses, modern eye-tracking technology uses infrared light sources and cameras to monitor the wearer’s eye movement continuously. This hardware configuration captures pupil and corneal reflections, providing precise data on gaze direction. The real-time processing unit in MR glasses computes the wearer’s gaze point, enabling interactions like seamless object selection, menu navigation, and dynamic adjustment of virtual elements based on gaze. Reflective waveguide technology, using mirrors to redirect light, offers an efficient solution for developing highly effective eye-tracking systems.