Diagnosing a Concussion by Testing Horizontal Saccades Using an Eye-Tracker

It is difficult to diagnose a concussion because neuro-images of the brain usually do not show signs of any physical brain damage. The primary purpose of the present research was to investigate the eye movement patterns of patients with concussion symptoms and differences between those patterns of healthy patients. Twenty-two participants were recruited for this study in two groups: the concussed teen group and the non-concussed teen group. They were asked to wear an eye-tracker and complete a cognitive test. The results show significant differences (p < 0.05) in the eye movement patterns between the two groups from different aspects: (1) The concussed group showed more chaotic eye movements while the non-concussed participants had smoother eye movement patterns with less saccadic jumping. (2) The concussed patients tended to have more random eye glances on the areas around the targets. In general, the eye-tracking methods can be useful in concussions diagnosis.