Kinematic Analysis of Rapid Eye Movements for Vestibular Disorders

Abstract: The system under development provides a means to assess the semi-circular canals of the human vestibular system. The Impulse Test is a simple method to detect disorders within the three sets of semi-circular canals, by stimulating each pair of canals in turn. This report describes the work carried out to develop a simple, non-intrusive system whereby the patient can be assessed in a matter of seconds. The system consists of a single high-speed monochrome camera connected to a computer with the developed software. The main area of work so far, has been the implementation of an accurate image processing technique to track both the head and the eyes. Pattern recognition was attempted first, but this was met with limited success. The method of image processing then shifted to thresholding performed upon the eye. Modelling the head and eye in three dimensions were also integral parts of the project. The eye's origin must be accurately represented as eye velocity is measured relative to this point. Therefore, inaccuracies in describing the eye's origin yield misleading results.