Evaluation of a Virtual Reality-Based Eye Tracker for Neuro-Ophthalmic Assessment: A Feasibility, Reliability and Reproducibility Study

Background/ObjectivesVirtual Reality (VR) eye trackers offer portable, objective tools for neuro-ophthalmic testing. This study evaluated the feasibility, reproducibility and reliability of a VR eye tracker (BulbiCAM) compared to wearable eye-tracking glasses (PupilLabs Neon glasses), highlighting its potential clinical utility and feasibility. Subjects/MethodsA prospective study involving 39 healthy participants (mean age{+/-}SD = 30.0 {+/-} 9.5 years) assessed inter-visit reproducibility of BulbiCAM tests across two visits. Pupillary light reflex tests were conducted with both BulbiCAM and PupilLabs Neon, enabling paired assessments. Reproducibility was analysed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), reliability via Bland-Altman analysis, and participant experience through a survey evaluating test comfort and usability. ResultsParticipants feedback (n=27) highlighted high acceptability for BulbiCAM: 89% found the test comfortable, 92.6% felt the testing duration was appropriate, and 81.5% reported no eye strain or fatigue. Inter-visit reproducibility of Bulbicam tests showed high reproducibility for pursuit and pupil tests (ICC= 0.88-0.76), while saccadic tasks showed lower reproducibility (best ICC at 0.62). Paired assessments between devices showed close agreement for key pupillometer metrics: baseline diameter (bias: -0.48 {+/-} 0.47 mm), peak constriction diameter (bias: -0.56 {+/-} 0.36 mm), constriction velocity (bias: 0.22 {+/-} 0.58 mm/s), and duration of constriction (bias: -0.052 {+/-} 0.15 s). ConclusionsThis study highlights the clinical feasibility of BulbiCAM, with high patient acceptability and reproducibility for pursuit and pupil tests. Paired assessments confirmed its accuracy for key pupillometric parameters, validating its reliability for clinical and research use.