An Eye Tracking Analysis on Diagnostic Performance of Digital Fundus Photography Images between Ophthalmologists and Optometrists

Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin and Azalia Razali
Additional contact information
Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin: Optometry & Vision Sciences Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Campus, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
Azalia Razali: Ophthalmology Department, Hospital Selayang, Lebuhraya Selayang-Kepong, Batu Caves, Selangor 68100, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: To investigate the parameters of eye movement between ophthalmologists and optometrists while diagnosing digital fundus photographs, sixteen participants (eight ophthalmologists and eight optometrists) were recruited in this study. Every participant’s eye movement during diagnosis of a randomized set of fundus photographs displayed on an eye tracker were recorded. Fixation metrics (duration, count and rate) and scan path patterns were extracted from the eye tracker. These parameters of eye movement and correct diagnosis score were compared between both groups. Correlation analyses between fixation metrics and correct diagnosis score were also performed. Although fixation metrics between ophthalmologists and optometrists were not statistically different ( p > 0.05), these parameters were statistically different when compared between different area of interests. Both participant groups had a similar correct diagnosis score. No correlation was found between fixation metrics and correct diagnosis score between both groups, except for total fixation duration and ophthalmologists’ diagnosis score of diabetic retinopathy photographs. The ophthalmologists’ scan paths were simpler, with larger saccades, and were distributed at the middle region of the photographs. Conversely, optometrists’ scan paths were extensive, with shorter saccades covering wider fundus areas, and were accumulated in some unrelated fundus areas. These findings indicated comparable efficiency and systematic visual search patterns between both the groups. Understanding visual search strategy could expedite the creation of a novel training routine for interpretation of ophthalmic diagnostic imaging.

Keywords: eye movements; eye tracker; fundus photographs; diagnosis; diabetic retinopathy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/1/30/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/1/30/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2019:i:1:p:30-:d:299459

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().