Evaluation of an Eye-Tracking-Based Method for Assessing the Visual Performance with Progressive Lens Designs

Due to the lack of sensitivity of visual acuity (VA) measurement to quantify differences in visual performance between progressive power lenses (PPLs), in this study, we propose and evaluate an eye-tracking-based method to assess visual performance when wearing PPLs. A wearable eye-tracker system (Tobii-Pro Glasses 3) recorded the pupil position of 27 PPL users at near and distance vision during a VA test while wearing three PPL designs: a PPL for general use (PPL-Balance), a PPL optimized for near vision (PPL-Near), and a PPL optimized for distance vision (PPL-Distance). The participants were asked to recognize eye charts at both near and distance vision using centered and oblique gaze directions with each PPL design. The results showed no statistically significant differences between PPLs for VA. However, significant differences in eye-tracking parameters were observed between PPLs. Furthermore, PPL-Distance had a lower test duration, complete fixation time, and number of fixations at distance evaluation. PPL-Near has a lower test duration, complete fixation time, and number of fixations for near vision. In conclusion, the quality of vision with PPLs can be better characterized by incorporating eye movement parameters than the traditional evaluation method.