Eye movement recordings: methods

Abstract

The development of oculomotor research is closely related to the development of the technology of eye movement recordings. The first part of this chapter summarizes some cornerstones of the history of eye movement recordings from the 18th century until today and explains the technical principles of the early antecedents of modern recording devices. The four most common recording techniques (electro-oculogram, infrared reflection devices, scleral search coil, and video-oculography) are then compared with respect to the most important system parameters: spatial resolution, temporal resolution, the capability to simultaneously record the multiple degrees of freedom of the eye, the setup complexity, system specific artifacts, and invasiveness. These features determine the suitability of these devices in particular applications.