OptiKey is an on-screen keyboard designed so you can move, click and type using an eye-tracking device. It’s an assistive tool: if your hands are unavailable or movement is limited, OptiKey lets you interact with a computer using gaze alone.
How it works
You use an eye tracker (a small camera-like device that watches where you look) to point at keys and controls on the screen. OptiKey interprets your gaze and selection gestures — for example a short dwell, a blink, or a switch — to choose letters, words or interface elements. Typed text appears in any active application just like text from a physical keyboard.
The keyboard includes features that speed up composing: automatic spacing and capitalization, word and phrase completion, and whole-word/whole-phrase selection so a single action can enter a common sentence. You can also use the interface to click, scroll and drag on the desktop, giving precise control of the cursor. A Speak option converts typed text to speech for spoken communication.
OptiKey is open source and built to work with a range of eye-tracking hardware. Before you set it up, check which trackers are supported by the project and whether your computer meets the stated requirements from the project documentation. Installation typically involves downloading the project build and following its setup guide; the software is intended to be straightforward to configure once you have a compatible tracker.
Who it's for and how to customise it
OptiKey is aimed at people with motor and speech disabilities — for example those living with conditions such as ALS/MND — but it’s also useful to anyone who needs hands-free input. It presents a much lower-cost, flexible alternative to some commercial turnkey systems, and because it’s open source you can customise it to suit specific needs.
The management screens let you tweak visual appearance, key layouts, and sound; change how pointing and selection behave; manage dictionaries and predictive text; and set up quick phrases or macros. You can speed up or slow down selection timings, choose alternative keyboard sizes, and change the size and position of the keyboard to suit your setup.
There are guides and community resources covering everything from your first word using eye control to fine-tuning predictive text and pointer precision. If you’re a caregiver or clinician setting this up for someone else, take time over calibration and the early configuration: small changes to dwell times, key sizes and vocabulary can make a big difference to comfort and typing speed.
If you want a practical, adaptable way to control a Windows PC with your eyes, OptiKey is worth a look. Check the project’s documentation for current compatibility and setup instructions, and test different selection methods to find what feels most comfortable and reliable for the user.