INTERPRETING EYE GAZE DIRECTION AS USER INPUT TO NEAR-EYE-DISPLAY (NED) DEVICES FOR ENABLING HANDS FREE POSITIONING OF VIRTUAL ITEMS

A Near-Eye-Display (NED) device utilizes eye tracking to interpret gaze direction as user input for hands free positioning of virtual items. The NED device includes an eye tracking system to monitor gaze direction and a display component that renders virtual items within a user's view of a physical real-world environment. The NED device receives an indication that the user desires to adjust a position of the virtual item. In response, the NED device uses tracks the user's eye movements to dynamically change the position at which the display component is rendering the virtual item. In this way, a NED device may identify when a user desires to adjust a position at which a virtual item is being rendered and then may enable the user to make the desired adjustments simply by "dragging" the virtual item with deliberate and controlled eye movements.