Seeing Through Their Eyes - A Customizable Gaze-Contingent Simulation of Impaired Vision and Other Eye Conditions Using VR/XR Technology

People with vision impairments see the world differently. Combining the forces of ophthalmology and modern computing we employ Unreal Engine 5 with Steam VR base stations, an eye-tracking capable Varjo Aero VR headset, and a handheld slate with an embedded HTC Vive tracker to record the changes in the person’s functional vision and make the implied changes in visual functions explicit by applying the resulting modifications to a live VR scene. The setup enables us to track participant’s head, gaze and object movements simultaneously, which in turn produces more data that can help in diagnosis and in teaching of assistive skills like steady eye technique.