Exploring the Relationship Between Eye Metrics and Surgical Performance: A Study on Orthopedic Surgeons in Simulated Procedures.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether eye-tracking metrics differentiate levels of surgical expertise during simulated arthroscopic tasks and to evaluate associations between eye-tracking parameters, simulator-derived performance metrics, and perceived workload.

DESIGN

Single-center observational educational study using mixed-reality arthroscopy simulation with integrated eye-tracking and workload assessment.

SETTING

Orthopaedic surgical simulation laboratory at a tertiary academic institution.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-six orthopaedic surgeons (11 residents and 15 consultants) performed 6 standardized arthroscopic tasks of increasing complexity on a mixed-reality simulator while wearing a head-mounted binocular eye-tracking device.

RESULTS

Simulator-derived performance metrics did not consistently differ between residents and consultants. In contrast, several eye-tracking metrics demonstrated experience-related differences. Consultants exhibited fewer fixations and longer mean fixation durations across multiple tasks, suggesting more efficient visual attention strategies. Saccadic parameters, pupil measures, and blink rate showed no consistent differences between experience groups. Eye-tracking metrics did not reliably distinguish high- from low-performing participants when stratified by simulator-derived performance. Correlations between perceived workload, assessed using the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), and simulator performance were minimal. Associations between fixation-based metrics and workload were weak and inconsistent across tasks.

CONCLUSIONS

In arthroscopic simulation, eye-tracking metrics primarily reflected experience-related differences in visual attention rather than objective simulator-defined technical performance. Fixation-based measures may capture aspects of attentional efficiency and cognitive workload, but do not appear to be reliable standalone indicators of procedural performance. Eye-tracking may therefore provide complementary insight into cognitive aspects of surgical expertise when integrated with established performance and workload assessments.