ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY, ABERDEEN, UK. A new and more accurate method of detecting schizophrenia in an individual has recently been discovered by a group of scientists. The study proves that the new method is 98 percent more accurate since schizophrenia has been long believed to be associated with impaired eye movement.
The new method is done using some very simple viewing tests to distinguish those who have signs of schizophrenia from those who do not. They were also given instructions to inspect different everyday scenes. They also underwent several fixation tasks which included a test to keep a steady gaze on an unmoving target with their eyes.
During the study, individuals with schizophrenia had a hard time tracking slow-moving objects smoothly with their eyes. People who have schizophrenia are also having a hard time maintaining a steady gaze as compared to healthy people. The volunteers in a healthy state were able to track the slow-moving objects smoothly with their eyes and were able to keep a steady gaze on an unmoving target. On the other hand, patients with schizophrenia had a hard time tracking the slow-moving objects. Their eye movements tend to fall behind the object and then catch up later on using rapid eye movement.
The successful research was led by Dr. Philip Benson and Professor David St Clair of the Aberdeen University in the UK. The study of the new method involved several eye tests that required volunteers and patients to track slow-moving objects as smoothly as they can using their eyes. As compared to the typical neuropsychological assessments which are really time-consuming, this new method is faster, cheaper and much more accurate.
| Invention | Eye Test |
|---|---|
| Organization | Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, UK |
| Researcher | Dr. Philip Benson & Professor David St Clair |
| Field(s) | Neuropsychological, Schizophrenia, Impaired eye movement, Simple Viewing Tests, Psychotic Illnesses |
| Further Information | Scotsman.com |
