Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) – a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) – has developed a unique new medical technology that uses eye-tracking to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in less than four minutes, in a scientific breakthrough that reflects the accelerated pace of research development in Qatar.

The idea of the new technology is based on the observation of eye movement abnormalities in people with autismspectrum disorder (ASD). This abnormality is not related to the eye itself or to vision, but to the brain cells responsible for visual communication, as people with autism suffer from poor or absent eye contact during conversation, and do not focus their gaze on the speaker’s face, which is one of the hallmarks of this disorder.

What distinguishes the new device is that it does not rely on the expertise of the person performing the test, unlike traditional methods that rely on personalized tools and diagnostics based on experience and self-analysis. Thus, the device provides an accurate and consistent diagnosis that does not change from one test to the next, according to QBRI Principal Investigator Dr. Fuad Al-Shaaban, who led the research team for the technology, told Al Jazeera.net.

The new technology is the result of a joint research work with Cleveland Clinic in the United States, which initially took about 5 years to reach a technical version that can diagnose autism within 10-15 minutes, but the research team at QBRI continued to work for 3 years to complete the research work after 8 years, until a new version of the device was reached that can make the diagnosis within only 4 minutes, which is enough time to make the diagnosis without the child or patient feeling fatigued or distracted, Shaaban said.