Three-dimensional analysis of eye movements using four times high-speed video camera

Abstract

In order to record and analyze the rapid eye movement non-invasively in human subjects, a four times high-speed video camera (4TC) with a new computer software was developed and utilized. Nine healthy volunteers and four patients with vestibular dysfunction participated in this study. Caloric stimulation was applied to the healthy subjects and the eye movements were recorded using a standard camera (SC) and a 4TC. In four patients, the positional and/or positioning nystagmus was recorded using SC and 4TC. Analysis of the eye speed of the quick phase of nystagmus was performed manually from the print out of the chart. The quick phase of the caloric nystagmus was adequately analyzed from the data using 4TC. However, using SC the sampling rate was not sufficiently enough for this purpose, as prospected. The adaptability of the 4TC in clinical examination is exactly similar to that of SC, because of the size and weight of the camera. Although the time taken to analyze eye movements using 4TC is about four times longer than that using SC, this system is quite useful and adequate for analyzing the quick eye movements in vestibular nystagmus, in an out-patient clinic set up.