A robust sclera segmentation algorithm

TL;DR: A novel sclera segmentation algorithm for colour images which operates at pixel-level is proposed, which is robust to image noise and different gaze directions and enhanced by a two-stage classifier.

Abstract: Sclera segmentation is shown to be of significant importance for eye and iris biometrics. However, sclera segmentation has not been extensively researched as a separate topic, but mainly summarized as a component of a broader task. This paper proposes a novel sclera segmentation algorithm for colour images which operates at pixel-level. Exploring various colour spaces, the proposed approach is robust to image noise and different gaze directions. The algorithm's robustness is enhanced by a two-stage classifier. At the first stage, a set of simple classifiers is employed, while at the second stage, a neural network classifier operates on the probabilities' space generated by the classifiers at the stage 1. The proposed method was ranked 1st in Sclera Segmentation Benchmarking Competition 2015, part of BTAS 2015, with a precision of 95.05% corresponding to a recall of 94.56%.