Vision essentials for eye gaze
We ask Lisa Donaldson, Head of Eyecare at SeeAbility what we should look to include if we wanted to create a pre eye gaze, vision essentials checklist.
Lisa explains what we need to know about an individuals eyes and what we should be looking for.
1. We need to understand their vision
- Can they see the screen?
- Are they able to focus from that distance?
- Do they have that level of detail resolution?
2 .We need to understand if glasses are needed.
Some children may need their distance glasses to see the screen. Other children may need a pair of glasses that specifically focus them at about 50cm where they’re using the eye gaze.
3. How good is their eye movement control?
For example, are they overshooting because they struggle to move their eyes accurately from A to B or because they’re not interested in the target?
It’s understanding that they may be concentrating, but do not have the level of fine motor control. It’s a fine motor skill to move your eyes accurately from one target to another.
4. Are the two eyes aligned?
This is really vital. Alot of children will have a dominant eye, which is actually tracking a target and the other eye may be turning out in a divergent squint or inwards. You want to know which eye to follow with the tracker.
Vision essentials for eye gaze
- Can the individual see the screen?
- Do they need glasses?
- How good is their eye movement control?
- Are they two eyes aligned?
