Face recognition characteristics in patients with age-related macular degeneration determined using a virtual reality headset with eye trackingŽugelj, Nina (Avtor) Peterlin, Lara (Avtor) Muznik, Urša (Avtor) Klobučar, Pia (Avtor) Jaki Mekjavić, Polona (Avtor) Vidović Valentinčič, Nataša (Avtor) Fakin, Ana (Avtor) AMDeye trackingface recognitionfixationheatmapvirtual realityBackground and objectives: Face recognition is one of the most serious disabilities of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Our purpose was to study face recognition using a novel method incorporating virtual reality (VR) and eye tracking. Materials and methods: Eighteen patients with AMD (seven male; median age 83 years; 89% with bilateral advanced AMD) and nineteen healthy controls (five male; median age 68 years) underwent the face recognition test IC FACES (Synthesius, Ljubljna, Slovenia) on a VR headset with built-in eye tracking sensors. Analysis included recognition accuracy, recognition time and fixation patterns. Additionally, a screening test for dementia and imaging with fundus autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography was performed. Results: AMD patients had significantly lower face recognition accuracy (42% vs. 92%; p < 0.001) and longer recognition time (median 4.0 vs. 2.0 s; p < 0.001) in comparison to controls. Both parameters were significantly worse in patients with lower visual acuity. In both groups, eye-tracking data revealed the two classical characteristics of the face recognition process, i.e., fixations clustering mainly in the nose-eyes-mouth triangle and starting observation in the nasal area. Conclusions: The study demonstrates usability of a VR headset with eye tracking for studying visual perception in real-world situations which could be applicable in the design of clinical studies.20242026-06-11 11:44:22Neznano30002sl