Created in the 1970s for the purpose of examining reading ability, the King-Devick test is now being used 40 years later for something a bit different—concussion testing. A King-Devick test taker will rapidly read numbers that are spaced at varying levels of difficulty. Since the eyes are closely linked to the brain, a change in eye movement can denote concussion symptoms.
While it is useful for detecting learning disabilities like dyslexia, since 2011 the test has been used by leagues like the NHL, MLS, AFL, CFL and MLL.
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Now, the age-old test is getting an upgrade thanks to EyeTech Digital Systems, based out of Mesa, Ariz. The company has added eye-tracking technology to the physical test, so that the operator can get a better understanding of the user’s speed of eye movement.
The tracker applies infrared lighting to gather a heat map of the eye’s whereabouts, in addition to a camera that more conventionally measures eye motion.
EyeTech has been working with King Devick Test to add eye tracking to its test and ready it for a clinical setting. The test can be taken on an iPad or laptop and only takes a couple of minutes to complete. The current King Devick Test on the iPad is used as a sideline device and and eye tracking will be performed in doctor’s offices to help concussed athletes back onto the field only when it is clear they are no longer concussed.
A select number of NHL teams are using the King-Devick test this season, as a trial run for the NHL as a whole. However, they are not using the eye tracking feature, and medical staffs will solely be administering the examination with three test cards. Every player involved took a baseline test at the beginning of the season, and any score that deviates from that of the baseline test is immediately flagged.
With or without the eye tracking, this should be an interesting experiment for the NHL, and if the test is successful it could be a potential launching point for other leagues.