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Measure or guide attentional processes using fixation duration and location.
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Measure the brain's ability to execute or suppress reflexive eye movements with saccade and anti-saccade tests.
Exploring biomarkers in clinical research
There is a strong connection between deficits in eye movements and various underlying brain disorders and injuries. Clinical researchers use eye tracking to explore biomarkers for cognitive impairment, enabling new tools for diagnosis, rehabilitation, and treatment.
Types of research eye trackers
Eye trackers typically come in the form of a screen-based (embedded or externally mounted) solution, as a wearable pair of glasses, or embedded in a VR headset.
What you can measure with eye tracking
Whatever the physical form, eye tracking can deliver the information needed to:
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Measure a person’s ability to fixate on a moving object using smooth-pursuit tasks.
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Assess emotional responses and cognitive workload based on pupillary responses.
Fields of research
Eye tracking can measure subtle eye movements that are linked to cognitive impairment and has become instrumental in clinical research, in areas such as:
Neurodegenerative disorders — Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s.
Neuropsychiatric disorders — depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and eating-disorders.
Neurological conditions — concussion, traumatic brain injury, and stroke.
Ophthalmology – visual field, lazy eye, and strabismus.
As well as dyslexia, language disabilities, and drug use.
Research setups for clinical studies
Screen-based for the lab
For lab environments, our screen-based eye trackers,
Tobii Pro Spectrum and Tobii Pro Fusion, produce visual stimuli on a screen and work together with Tobii Pro Lab to deliver insights on study participant reactions.
Screen-based for the field
You can connect the plug-and-play Tobii Pro Fusion eye tracker to any screen at a hospital, clinic, or research center to collect data in the field in a nonintrusive way. Works together with Tobii Pro Lab to deliver insights on behavior.
Standalone for the lab
If your study requires that patients observe or interact with physical objects or another person, you can use Tobii Pro Spectrum in standalone mode. Works together with Tobii Pro Lab to deliver insights on behavior.
Wearable for the real world
Designed for on-the-go data capture, our Tobii Pro Glasses 3 wearable eye tracker allows patients to interact and move around freely, and enables you to design studies that closely reflect real-world scenarios — for the lab and the field.
Related content
Clinical research — Use cases
Eye tracking elucidates disease development by capturing subtle changes in eye movements linked to brain and eye disorders. It aids clinical researchers in identifying new biomarkers and creating assessment tools.
Tracking eye movements to diagnose Parkinson’s disease
Karolinska Institute explored the possibility of using eye tracking as a prospective diagnostic tool for Parkinson’s disease, and their quest yielded exciting results.
Eye tracking in visual perception analysis for Alzheimer's disease patients
Researchers from the National University of Colombia (UNAL) analyzed eye movement in seven patients with Alzheimer's disease.
Eye tracking as a diagnosis tool for eye movement disorders—a look at nystagmus
This study focuses on eye movement disorders, in particular nystagmus, and the possibility of using eye tracking as an established form of diagnosis tool.
4 methods to assess Alzheimer’s with eye tracking
This learn article presents four ways eye tracking could aid early Alzheimer’s assessment.
Eye tracking used to understand Tourette syndrome
Researchers from the Cardiff School of Geography and Planning in the United Kingdom used Tobii Pro Glasses to understand the occurrence of compulsive behavior among people with Tourette syndrome.
Eye tracking for vision research
Cardiff University's School of Optometry and Vision Sciences used eye tracking from Tobii to explore eye movement in people with sight issues. The researchers looked at how environmental factors affected vision deficits.
Scientific publications
Did you know that over 12,000 scientific publications feature Tobii eye tracking technology? Discover the latest trends in eye tracking for Clinical and medical research by exploring our scientific publication library.
Related products
Tobii Pro Spectrum
This high-performance research system captures gaze data at speeds up to 1200 Hz. A screen-based eye tracker for extensive research from fixation-based studies to micro-saccades.
Tobii Pro Glasses 3
Designed for the real world, our third-generation wearable eye tracker allows you to conduct behavioral research in a wide range of settings.
Tobii Pro Lab
Tobii Pro Lab, our eye tracking software supporting screen-based and wearable eye trackers. Guides the researcher through the entire research workflow.
Tobii Pro Fusion
Screen-based eye tracker, capturing gaze data at speeds up to 250 Hz. This powerful research system supports from fixation to saccade-based research outside of the lab.
Related solutions
Healthcare technology
Eye tracking technology empowers quick and early diagnosis of potentially life altering diseases and helps in the long-term treatment of certain disorders and disabilities.
Assessment and treatment
Eye tracking offers a window into disease development by capturing subtle changes in eye movements that are associated with various brain and eye disorders.
Enabling success
Tobii offers tailored support to address research needs throughout your journey with Tobii’s eye tracking.
Tobii Funding support services
Tobii Funding support services help you improve your grant proposals for research that includes eye tracking in its methodology
Tobii Connect
Tobii Connect delivers product documentation, how-to guides, and answers to FAQs as well as access to software updates. Our customer care services help with any technical issues concerning Tobii products.
Tobii Academy
Tobii Academy our online learning platform, helping you ensure study success at every step of the way from study design to interpreting your eye tracking data.