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As Far as Eye See: Vergence-Pupil Coupling in Near-Far Depth Switching

MCML Authors

Virmarie Maquiling

→ Group Enkelejda Kasneci
Human-Centered Technologies for Learning

Yasmeen Abdrabou

Dr.

→ Group Enkelejda Kasneci
Human-Centered Technologies for Learning

Enkelejda Kasneci

Prof. Dr.

Core PI

Human-Centered Technologies for Learning

Abstract

Vergence is widely used as a proxy for depth perception and spatial attention in immersive and real-world eye-tracking studies. In this paper, we investigate how pupil size artefacts affect vergence estimates during real physical depth viewing with a head-mounted eye tracker. Using a beamsplitter setup with physically near and far targets, we elicited controlled convergent and divergent eye movements under static, luminance-modulated, and blockwise fixation conditions. Near and far targets were reliably separable in vergence angle across participants. However, pupil-vergence coupling varied substantially across individuals and conditions. Static illumination produced large inter-participant variability, while luminance modulation reduced this spread, yielding more clustered estimates. Blockwise and audio-cued recordings further showed that pupil-vergence coupling persists even without visual depth onsets. These results suggest that pupil size fluctuations can systematically influence vergence estimates, and that controlled viewing conditions can reduce—but not eliminate—this effect.

inproceedings MAK26