Scientific Data

Joint infrared pupil images and near-corneal-plane spectral light exposure data under natural conditions

2026-07-25

Factors influencing pupil size can be experimentally controlled or held constant in laboratory experiments, but how the pupil reflects changes in retinal input from the visual environment in real-world viewing conditions has yet to be captured in a large, age-diverse sample. In this dataset, we address this research gap by collecting data in a hybrid field-laboratory experiment ( N = 83, 43 female, age range 18–87 years) using a custom-built, wearable, video-based eye tracker with a spectroradiometer measuring spectral irradiance in the approximate corneal plane, resulting in 29,664 valid recorded spectral irradiance and eye image pairs along with 83 approximately 3-minute-long calibration videos. After an initial 3-minute calibration procedure, 10-minute dark-adaptation period and a 14-minute controlled laboratory light condition, participants moved in and between indoor and outdoor environments of varying spectral irradiance for ~25–35 minutes and performed a range of everyday tasks. This dataset may provide a basis for developing algorithms for pupil detection, processing, and prediction under natural conditions.

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DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-07816-w