Visual search in the (Un)real world: How head-mounted displays affect eye movements, head movements and target detection

Head-mounted displays (HMDs) that use a see-through display method allow for superimposing computer-generated images upon a real-world view. Such devices, however, normally restrict the user's field of view. Furthermore, low display resolution and display curvature are suspected to make foveal as well as peripheral vision more difficult and may thus affect visual processing. In order to evaluate this assumption, we compared performance and eye-movement patterns in a visual search paradigm under different viewing conditions: participants either wore an HMD, had their field of view restricted by blinders or could avail themselves of an unrestricted field of view (normal viewing). From the head and eye-movement recordings we calculated the contribution of eye rotation to lateral shifts of attention. Results show that wearing an HMD leads to less eye rotation and requires more head movements than under blinders conditions and during normal viewing.