Model-based approach for gaze estimation from corneal imaging using a single camera

This paper describes a method to estimate the gaze direction using cornea images captured by a single camera. The purpose is to develop wearable devices capable of obtaining natural user responses, such as interests and behaviors, from eye movements and scene images reflected on the cornea. From an image of the eye, an ellipse is fitted on the colored iris area. A 3D eye model is reconstructed from the ellipse and rotated to simulate projections of the iris area for different eye poses. The gaze direction is then evaluated by matching the iris area of the current image with the corresponding projection obtained from the model. We finally conducted an experiment using a head-mounted prototype to demonstrate the potential of such an eye-tracking method solely based on cornea images captured from a single camera.