Abstract: PURPOSE: Collect older adults with depression and healthy older adults in the execution of Fixation Stability Task, Saccade Task, Free-Viewing Task eye movement data, analysis of depressed elderly patients and healthy elderly eye features in simple eye movement task, for the construction can be applied to the auxiliary screening of depressed elderly patients eye movement indicators and auxiliary clinical objective diagnosis provides empirical basis.
METHODS: Collection in Jiangxi province psychiatric hospital psychological accord with the international classification of disease version 10 (international classification of diseases-10, ICD-10) depression episode diagnosis criteria of 16 elderly depression and 16 community health elderly for the study object, using Tobii Pro Spectrum Eye movement instrument to collect eye data, compare the elderly depression and healthy elderly in the fixation stability task, saccade task and free viewing task of eye movement characteristics.
RESULTS: (1) In the fixation stability task, the number of saccades was significantly more than in the healthy older group (t=2.158, P<0.05); (2) in the Prosaccade and antisaccade task, the saccade orientation correctrate was significantly lower in healthy controls (t=-2.38, P<0.05), and the reverse saccade accuracy was significantly lower in healthy controls (t=-2.32, P<0.05); (3) In the free-viewing task, The interaction of emotional face type and the group was not significant (P>0.05), Group main effect of fixations, saccades, mean pupil diameter (P<0.05), Elderly patients with depression had less fixations on emotional faces than healthy controls (F=4.98, P<0.05), More saccades than those in the healthy control group (F=4.84, P<0.05), The mean pupil diameter was greater than that of the healthy control elderly group (F=17.40, P<0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients with depression in the Fixation Stability Task, Saccade Task, Free-Viewing Task present characteristic eye movement pattern, shows that eye movement index can help to distinguish between elderly depression and healthy elderly, clinical diagnosis of elderly depression has application value.

Key words: Eye-Tracking Technology, Eye Movements, Depressed Elderly Patients