Gazing behavior exhibited by people with low vision while navigating streets

Abstract

“Low vision” is defined as uncorrectable vision loss that interferes with daily activities. The gazing behavior exhibited by people with low vision as they walk is particularly important because it illustrates how they utilize information in various environments. In this study, eight participants with low vision and eight fully sighted participants were asked to navigate a roadway and a sidewalk wearing a mobile eye-tracking device. Their gazing behavior and walking behavior were recorded and analyzed. As a result, on the roadway, participants with low vision walked while fixing their gazes mainly on the road surface and white traffic lines around 10 meters ahead, as well as on the buildings around 39 meters ahead. On the sidewalk, on the other hand, they walked while fixing their gaze on mainly the road surface and tactile paving seven to eight meters ahead, as well as on the buildings around 24 meters ahead. These findings suggest that people with low vision use not only nearby objects but also distant objects as visual cues. In addition, the importance of using continuous road surface markers, such as white traffic lines and tactile paving, to enable people with low vision to walk outdoors safely is suggested.