Residual gaze behaviour during navigation in blindness and low vision.

Only 19 participants with blindness or low vision and 12 fully sighted participants were analysed, so patterns need confirmation in larger groups. Five participants with blindness or low vision and six fully sighted participants were excluded because of eye-tracking device failures, and these losses were concentrated early in data collection. The eye tracker was uncalibrated and had about 4.6° accuracy, lower than laboratory systems, and some scene video data were lost when connections pulled. The study did not link fixations to specific hazards such as pedestrians, traffic lights, or obstacles. All participants walked the same route in daylight from 10 am to 5 pm on typical weekdays, so findings may not apply to poor lighting, bad weather, indoor spaces, or crowded transit. Most participants with blindness or low vision had received mobility or rehabilitation training and were physically active, so the sample may not represent people with less training or more mobility limitations.

The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest.

Do not read these gaze differences as proof that a training programme or assistive device works. This study observed people walking once and did not test an intervention, so it can describe patterns but not show improvement.