IN-vision is pleased to announce the purchase of an EyeLink 1000 Plus, a new, sensitive and sophisticated eye tracking device, used by Universities and Hospitals worldwide to study normal and pathological eye movements.

This eye-tracker is one of the first of its kind to be used in the UK and Professor Chris Harris of the Plymouth Royal Eye Infirmary will use the equipment to set up a dedicated paediatric eye movement clinic to continue furthering research into nystagmus.

The EyeLink 1000 Plus is an ideal tool for nystagmus research because its state of the art features can capture eye movement simultaneously and reveal detail quickly – all without the need for patients to be stationary for long periods. It’s unique high speed allows for precise quantification of different types of waveforms, and maximises the potential to detect small changes in eye movements that may occur over time.

A target sticker is used which the camera can track as well as the eyes, meaning the subject is free to move about, making it a less stressful experience for young ones.

One of the reasons the Eyelink 1000 Plus was chosen was because not only can it be used in ‘head-fixed’ mode, it can also be used without stabilising the head. This, and it’s ability to track both eyes simultaneously, thus reducing the time required to obtain a full assessment, and it’s speedy data capture, make it ideal for use on infants and young children.

Professor Harris said: “The plan is to collect nystagmus waveforms from patients of any age. The goal is to examine how waveforms evolve with age (depending on any underlying diagnosis). This is part of our developmental programme to understand nystagmus at its onset in infancy. We will continue to record nystagmus from older patients to better understand the developmental trajectory. For us to be successful, we do need to see as many people, of all ages as possible.”

Liz Charter, co-founder of IN-vision believes that early diagnosis and referral from GPs is key to the success for improved treatment of nystagmus. She said: “we are very proud to have raised over £22,000 to purchase this very special piece of equipment for Professor Harris. We are extremely grateful to all of those who helped and especially the Robinson family and Tim’s Fund. Work starts now on raising funds for the next tracker so we can place these around the country.

It’s important now that Professor Harris gets the opportunity to use this sophisticated tracker on as many people as possible, especially infants. Not only will families be helping further research – they will also come away with a good insight into their particular variation of nystagmus. The best way to see Prof Harris, is to request a referral from their GP, or contact us and we will help.”

Notes: EyeLink eye tracking systems are made by SR-Research in Canada. Over 3200 research papers citing Eyelink trackers have been published. www.sr-research.com

Professor Chris Harris is Professor of Neuroscience at Plymouth University and specialises in visual development and eye movement disorders. Referral letters should be addressed to Prof Harris at Ocular Motility, Royal Eye Infirmary, Plymouth
Hospitals NHS Trust, Derriford Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 8DH

Tim’s Fund was set up in memory of Tim Robinson, supporting children with special needs achieve their potential.