Gaze Behavior of Patients with Stroke during Walking Outdoors

Abstract

[Purpose] The present study investigated the gaze behavior of stroke patients during walking outdoors, when they need to deal with several environmental constraints, such as rough terrain, steps, and roads. [Participants and Methods] The participants were six stroke patients and six younger adults. The participants walked on an outdoor walking course while wearing an eye mark recorder (EMR-9). [Results] The stroke patients fixated their steps and road surfaces significantly longer than the younger adults. The stroke patients also showed less frequency of gaze behavior for left and right confirmation than the younger adults. [Conclusion] The stroke patients tended to look down and fixated predominantly on the ground surface. Accordingly, their gaze behavior is unlikely to be modified by responses to environmental constraints.