Eye-Tracking Technology in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: A Systematic Review.

[BACKGROUND] The use of eye-tracking technology in plastic surgery has gained popularity over the past decade due to its ability to assess observers' visual preferences in an objective manner.

[OBJECTIVES] The goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of eye-tracking studies in plastic and reconstructive surgery, which can aid in the design and conduct of high-quality eye-tracking studies.

[METHODS] Through application of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a comprehensive search of articles published on eye-tracking across several databases was conducted from January 1946 to January 2019. Inclusion criteria included studies evaluating the use of eye-tracking technology in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery. The resulting publications were screened by 2 independent reviewers.

[RESULTS] A total of 595 articles were identified, 23 of which met our inclusion criteria. The most common application of eye-tracking was to assess individuals with cleft lip/palate (9 studies). All 19 studies that evaluated fixation patterns among conditions vs controls reported significant differences between the 2 groups. Five out of 7 studies assessing visual data between preoperative and postoperative patients identified significant differences between the preoperative and postoperative groups, whereas 2 studies did not. Nine studies examined the relation between severity indices, attractiveness scores, or personality ratings and gaze patterns. Correlation was found in 7 out of the 9 studies.

[CONCLUSIONS] This systematic review demonstrates the utility of eye-tracking technology as a quantifiable objective assessment and emerging research tool for evaluating outcomes in several domains of plastic and reconstructive surgery.