Eye-Head Movement Laboratory

Principal Investigator:

Natela Shanidze

Contact Information:

2318 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

Welcome to the Eye-Head Movement Lab! Our laboratory is interested in how changes in visual and/or vestibular function affect eye/head coordination, balance, and mobility, particularly in aging.

We are currently pursuing two main lines of research:

1. The effects of central visual field loss on eye and head movements and stability, especially in everyday tasks such as locomotion.

2. The effects of lifetime noise exposure on vestibular function and how potential vestibular deficits affect balance and mobility across the lifespan.

For more information about our research projects, please see the “Projects” tab below.

Eye-head coordination lab logo

Publications

Illustration of two figures walking on a wavy road, with thought bubbles; one figure contemplates falling and an ambulance, while the other thinks of a sad face and a foot, representing themes of fall-related ruminations and cognitive processes.

Shanidze, N.M., Agathos, C.P., Ellmers, T.J., & Young, W.R., (2026). Links Between Central Visual Field Loss and Movement Processing during Walking. Gait & Posture, 110095.

Image illustrating the interaction between head movements and gaze in a gallery setting, featuring art pieces on the walls and a sculptural display, with annotations highlighting "Shift Gaze with Head" and "Cancel VOR," relevant to research on vestibular function in patients with central field loss.

Shanidze, N.M. & Velisar, A. (2025). Cancellation of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex during Smooth Pursuit in Patients with Maculopathy. Frontiers in Neurology, 16, 1632527.

Healthcare professional engaging with elderly patient, discussing low vision rehabilitation and treatment options.

Agathos, C.P, Shanidze, N.M., Fletcher, D.C. (2025). Importance of screening for contrast sensitivity, falls and mobility limitations in older adults with maculopathy. American Journal of Ophthalmology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2025.08.051

3D plot illustrating gaze point estimation, gaze rays, fixation markers, and vergence angle, relevant to head-mounted eye tracking research.

Velisar, A. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2024). Noise Estimation for Head-Mounted 3D Binocular Eye Tracking using Pupil Core Eye Tracking Goggles. Behavior Research Methods, 56(1), 27. 10.3758/s13428-023-02150-0 (Original work published 2024)

Schematic diagram illustrating walking behavior during the Instrumented Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, featuring figures with wearable sensors and pathways indicating movement patterns.

Agathos, C. P., Velisar, A. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2023). A Comparison of Walking Behavior during the Instrumented TUG and Habitual Gait. Sensors, 23(16). 10.3390/s23167261 (Original work published 2023)

Scatter plot displaying data points in a polar coordinate system, relevant to research on saccadic contributions and visual processing in macular degeneration.

Shanidze, N. ., Lively, Z. ., Lee, R. ., & Verghese, P. . (2022). Saccadic contributions to smooth pursuit in macular degeneration. Vision Research, 200, 108102. 10.1016/j.visres.2022.108102 (Original work published 2022)

Robotic oculomotor simulator illustrating eyeballs and levers for assessing eye tracking accuracy in research on vision and eye health.

Lotze, A. ., Love, K. ., Velisar, A. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2022). A low-cost robotic oculomotor simulator for assessing eye tracking accuracy in health and disease. Behavior Research Methods. 10.3758/s13428-022-01938-w (Original work published 2022)

Graph depicting angular excursion and velocity over time, illustrating data relevant to visual science research, particularly in the context of smooth pursuit and eye movement analysis.

Shanidze, N. ., & Velisar, A. . (2020). Eye, Head & Gaze Contributions to Smooth Pursuit in Macular Degeneration. Journal of Neurophysiology. 10.1152/jn.00001.2020 (Original work published 2020)

Diagram illustrating the relationship between scotoma and the preferred retinal locus (PRL) in macular degeneration, with orange dots representing fixation points within the scotoma region.

Verghese, P. ., Vullings, C. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2020). Eye Movements in Macular Degeneration. Annual Reviews of Vision Science, 7. doi.org/10.1146/annurev-vision-100119-125555 (Original work published 2021)

Text-based comparison question about speed, relevant to vision science research.

Shanidze, N. ., & Verghese, P. . (2019). Motion perception in central field loss. Journal of Vision, 19, 20–20. 10.1167/19.14.20 (Original work published 2019)

Foveated convolutional neural network graphic illustrating smooth pursuit eye movement concepts related to vision research.

Shanidze, N. ., Heinen, S. J., & Verghese, P. . (2017). Monocular and Binocular Smooth Pursuit in Central Field Loss. Vision Research.

Shanidze, N. ., Ghahghaei, S. ., & Verghese, P. . (2016). Accuracy of Eye Position for Saccades and Smooth Pursuit. Journal of Vision, 16(23). 10.1167/16.15.23 (Original work published 2016)

Illustration of a person seated in a chair wearing glasses, participating in a vestibular experiment with directional indicators for clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) movements, and a target display for spatial orientation assessment.

Velisar, A. ., Visht, A. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2025).Effects of Lifetime Noise Exposure on VOR Adaptation. San Diego, California.

Velisar, A. ., Agathos, C. P., Telaprolu, D. S. L., & Shanidze, N. . (2025). Lifetime Noise Exposure Affects Age-Related Gait Changes. Maastricht, Netherlands.

Shanidze, N. ., Velisar, A. ., & Agathos, C. P. (2025). Lifetime Noise Exposure is Associated with Greater Postural Sway during Quiet Stance. Maastricht, Netherlands.

Illustration of a person seated in a chair wearing glasses, participating in a vestibular experiment with directional indicators for clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) movements, and a target display for spatial orientation assessment.

Visht, A., Velisar, A. ., Rosengren, B., & Shanidze, N. . (2025).Vestibulo-ocular Reflex in Central Field Vision Loss. San Diego, California.

Illustration of two figures walking on a wavy road, with thought bubbles; one figure contemplates falling and an ambulance, while the other thinks of a sad face and a foot, representing themes of fall-related ruminations and cognitive processes.

Rosengren, B., Agathos, C. P., Velisar, A. ., Visht, A., & Shanidze, N. . (2025).Fall-related ruminations are linked to spatial orientation and processing efficiency. San Diego, California.

Shanidze, N. ., Agathos, C. P., & Velisar, A. . (2024). Vestibular Damage due to Noise Exposure Leads to Significant Sensory Adaptations During Quiet Stance. Reno, NV, USA.

Illustration of vestibular function with arrows representing direction of gravitational force and perception of verticality in relation to aging and AMD research.

Agathos, C. P., Velisar, A. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2024). Sensory reweighting in central visual field loss. Reno, NV.

Verghese, P. ., Safi, M. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2024). Deficits in smooth pursuit in macular degeneration impact dynamic visual acuity. Seattle, WA, USA.

Shanidze, N. ., & Velisar, A. . (2024). Changes in vergence angle and vestibuloocular reflex response for near viewing in central field loss. Seattle, WA, USA.

Stewart, C. E., Bauer, D. S., Velisar, A. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2021). Functional Correlates of Noise-Induced Damage to the Vestibular Periphery. Virtual: Society for Neuroscience Global Connectome. (Original work published 2021)

Velisar, A. ., & Shanidze, N. . (2021). Effects of eccentric viewing in orientation discrimination. Virtual: Society for Neuroscience Global Connectome. (Original work published 2021)

Shanidze, N. ., Lee, R. ., & Young, W. R. (2021). Evaluating Associations Between Central Visual Field Loss and Conscious Movement Processing. Virtual: Society for Neuroscience Global Connectome. (Original work published 2021)

Projects

  • Active
  • Completed
Colorful stick figure models demonstrating visual representation techniques for assistive technology in mobility and navigation for individuals with visual impairments.
Active

Mobility and Fall Risk in Central Visual Field Loss

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of vision loss in the developed world. Central visual field loss due to diseases such as AMD is a large and growing problem. It is also associated with higher risk of falls and, therefore injury. Although much has been done to understand visual limitations associated with this condition, one of its most dangerous and poorly understood outcomes is the increase in the risk of falls, which can be debilitating and even deadly, especially in the age group most affected by AMD. The exact reasons for the increased fall risk are unknown…
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Illustration of an eye ball with labeled pupil and visual tracking line, relevant to eye movement simulation research at SKERI.
Active

Challenges in Head-Free Eye Tracking in Health & Disease

This project is focused on investigating sources of error and potential improvement methodologies for head-free eye tracking, particularly in individuals with known oculomotor deficits
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Cartoon of falling apple
Active

Vestibular Function in AMD: Verticality Perception

To accurately perceive one’s own state and that of the surrounding environment, visual, vestibular and somatosensory inputs must be appropriately weighted and dynamically reweighted depending on the environment and task difficulty, as well as signal reliability (and availability). Aging is associated with an increase on visual dependence (a greater weighting of visual information). In this project we investigate how loss of visual information due to AMD affects this reweighting process and if an increase in visual dependence may be maladaptive in AMD.
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drawing of an ear with sound waves coming towards it
Active

Effects of Noise Exposure Across the Lifespan on Balance and Stability in Older Adults

Falls in older adults are common, have high societal and monetary costs, often lead to injury and can even be fatal. It is known that noise can damage the vestibular periphery resulting in postural instability and compromised balance. This project investigates how natural aging is accelerated by lifetime noise exposure, and how that can lead to impaired vestibular function, contributing to propensity to fall.
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Magnifying glass focusing on "Low Vision" text in a newspaper, highlighting topics relevant to low vision support and community outreach.
Active

Blindness and Low Vision Support Group

Join Dr. Don Fletcher, one of the world’s leading authorities on Low Vision Rehabilitation, to share experiences and learn about the things that help you maintain a full and happy life while living with low vision.
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Image of the retina with a centroid target superimposed. The fovea is off-center from the target.
Active

Fovea Use During Smooth Pursuit

There is continuing debate as to whether smooth pursuit relies on the foveation of a moving target, especially when the target is compact. Previous studies have shown that gaze is placed on the center-of-mass of a target during saccadic eye movements. This research aims to understand whether eye placement is similarly centered during smooth pursuit and whether foveation is necessary for pursuing a small stimulus.
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Experimental equipment: head-mounted eye-tracking goggles and head movement sensor
Active

Coordination of Eye and Head Movements in Central Field Loss

This project investigates the interaction between central field loss (CFL) and vestibular function.
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pencil drawing of the robot design
Completed

Robotic Oculomotor Simulator

Current eye tracking and calibration algorithms do not accommodate eccentric viewing and the capacity for accurate eye tracking is difficult to assess in individuals with central visual field loss, and few studies of naturalistic oculomotor behavior exist. To address this problem, we are developing a binocular robotic model of the human eyes that can simulate fixation and eye movements with an eccentric preferred retinal locus in one or both eyes and allow for precise assessment of eye tracking performance of head mounted computer vision-based eye tracking systems.
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The dots on the left are moving faster than the dots on the right side of the screen
Completed

Motion Perception in Central Field Loss

The project investigates motion perception in individuals with vision loss due to central retinal lesion, but who retain healthy peripheral retina. Healthy peripheral retina is exquisitely sensitive to fast speeds, however, there is limited and conflicting information about motion processing in residual peripheral retina in patients with central field loss, often due to macular degeneration. We use psychophysical and eye tracking approaches to systematically probe speed and direction sensitivity in this population.
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Characteristics of Smooth Pursuit in Individuals with Central Field Loss
Completed

Characteristics of Smooth Pursuit in Individuals with Central Field Loss

This project investigates the properties of smooth pursuit eye movements in individuals with macular degeneration. Commonly believed to be a fovea-linked eye movement, smooth pursuit has not been previously investigated in individuals with central field loss, despite its importance for tracking moving objects, such as vehicles or pedestrians on a busy street.
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  • Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
    Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center
    The Center's research goal is to develop and apply new scientific knowledge and practical, cost-effective devices to better understand and address the real-world problems of blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind...
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    EyeRobot Eye Movement Demonstration

    EyeRobot Eye Movement Demonstration

    EyeRobot Eye Movement Demonstration

    EyeRobot Eye Movement Demonstration

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    Patient undergoing eye examination with Optos OCT SLO device, assisted by researchers in a laboratory setting focused on vision science and eye-tracking accuracy.