Abstract
Purpose :
Vision impairments (VIs) in the workplace are a growing burden jeopardizing the safety [1], well-being [2], diversity [3], and productivity [4] of the labor force. A better understanding of the impact VIs have on ability to perform work-related tasks requiring eye-hand coordination (EHC) is needed. The purpose of this project is to present a novel and quantitative approach that assesses gaze strategies used to perform the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT), a well-established assessment of EHC, including in populations with VIs [5-10].
Methods :
Six (N=6) adults with VIs (Table 1) and seven (N=7) young controls participated. Written consent, approved by the University of Pittsburgh’s Institutional Review Board, was obtained prior to participation. Participants were asked to perform the PPT (Lafayette Instrument; Lafayette, IN) while wearing the Tobii Pro Glasses 2 (Tobii AB; Danderyd, Sweden), tracking gaze at 50 Hz. Standard methods were used to administer the four PPT subtasks. Gaze fixations were manually mapped to two areas of interest (AOI) on the pegboard (Fig 1). Three gaze metrics, evaluated in each AOI, were derived using the Tobii Pro Lab software and averaged across the three trials collected for each subtask, specifically: (1) number of fixations, (2) percent of time fixating, and (3) average duration of fixation.
Results :
Gaze metrics were successfully computed and qualitatively compared between controls and participants with VIs (Table 1). Various gaze strategies were associated with specific diagnoses. For example, in the assembly subtask, participants with diabetic retinopathy used an increased number but shorter fixations in the holes area compared to other participants. The number of parts were significantly reduced in the group with VIs than in controls, e.g. 26 vs 42 parts in the assembly PPT subtask.
Conclusions :
Eye movement tracking while performing the PPT is the first step in understanding how participants with specific vision-related diagnoses complete work-related tasks requiring eye-hand coordination. This knowledge can be useful in placing individuals with VIs in appropriate jobs and providing insights into the design of accommodations in the workplace.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.