Optical Safety of Infrared Eye Trackers Applied for Extended Durations

This project was based at the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), the primary international safety standards body for photobiological effects of light on the eye. The project began as part of the EU-Funded COGAIN (Communication through Gaze Interaction) Network of Excellence which developed Gaze-based communication for persons with locked-in syndrome, in which F. Mulvey was a steering board member. This work led to concern regarding the all-day use of eyetracking by persons with profound physical disability with regard to the effects of Infra-Red light on the retina. Following the end of the COGAIN Project, F. Mulvey convened a Technical Committee within the CIE to establish safety standards for long term, long duration use of eye tracking as a means of communication.

Safety standards for the Infra Red light in Eye Tracking was tested in commercial systems and maximum exposure levels suitable for vulnerable users were applied to light sources, ensuring that all-day exposure to IR light for communication through gaze tracking would not present a safety concern for vision in current or future systems.

This work aimed to ensure that eye tracking is safe for people's vision, even if they have disabilities that make it hard to blink or look away, and they use it all day every day to communicate or control an interface.