In a computer processing apparatus 8, frames of image data received from a
camera 4 are processed to track the eyes of a user 2 in each image. A 3D
computer model of a head is stored, and search regions are defined in the
3D space corresponding to the eyes and eyebrows. For each image, pixels
within the projection of the search regions from the 3D space to the 2D
image space are sampled to determine a representative intensity value for
each of the search regions. Positions for the eyes in the 3D space are
then calculated based on the determined values. The 3D computer model and
search bands are moved within the 3D space to align the eyes with the
calculated eye positions. In this way, when the next image is processed,
the search bands project into the image from a head configuration
determined from the previous image. This facilitates reliable and
accurate eye tracking.