Gaze-contingent processing improves mobility, scene recognition and visual search in simulated head-steered prosthetic vision
Open accessAbstract
Objective. The enabling technology of visual prosthetics for the blind is making rapid progress. However, there are still uncertainties regarding the functional outcomes, which can depend on many design choices in the development. In visual prostheses with a head-mounted camera, a particularly challenging question is how to deal with the gaze-locked visual percept associated with spatial updating conflicts in the brain. The current study investigates a recently proposed compensation strategy based on gaze-contingent image processing with eye-tracking. Gaze-contingent processing is expected to reinforce natural-like visual scanning and reestablished spatial updating based on eye movements. The beneficial effects remain to be investigated for daily life activities in complex visual environments. Approach. The current study evaluates the benefits of gaze-contingent processing versus gaze-locked and gaze-ignored simulations in the context of mobility, scene recognition and visual search, using a virtual reality simulated prosthetic vision paradigm with sighted subjects. Main results. Compared to gaze-locked vision, gaze-contingent processing was consistently found to improve the speed in all experimental tasks, as well as the subjective quality of vision. Similar or further improvements were found in a control condition that ignores gaze-dependent effects, a simulation that is unattainable in the clinical reality. Significance. Our results suggest that gaze-locked vision and spatial updating conflicts can be debilitating for complex visually-guided activities of daily living such as mobility and orientation. Therefore, for prospective users of head-steered prostheses with an unimpaired oculomotor system, the inclusion of a compensatory eye-tracking system is strongly endorsed.
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Gaze orientation plays an important role in both phosphenes location and interpretability for mobility and visual tasks.
“Gaze orientation also plays an important role in both phosphenes location59 and interpretability for mobility and visual tasks.60”
From Visual Prostheses in the Era of Artificial Intelligence Technology (2025) · cites this paper as [60]
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Visual Prostheses in the Era of Artificial Intelligence Technology
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“60 These and certain unexplained variability factors represent a significant bottleneck for optimal stimulation with cortical prostheses.”
- Authors
- de Ruyter van Steveninck, J., Nipshagen, M., van Gerven, M., Güçlü, U., Güçlüturk, Y., & van Wezel, R.
- Affiliations
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Venue
- Journal of Neural Engineering
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Published
- 2024-04-01
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 026037
- ISSN
- 1741-2552 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-2560
- OpenAlex
- W4392935338
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4
- FWCI
- 1.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Neural Engineering (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- University of Twente Research Information (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- European Commission (899287, HORIZON2020)
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (P15-42, 17619)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neural Engineering
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Keywords
- visual prosthetics, eye tracking, spatial updating, visual search, scene classification, mobility (physical function), activities of daily living, virtual reality simulation, blind users, oculomotor system
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Computer Simulation, Eye Movements, Humans, Prospective Studies, Vision, Ocular
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