In challenging image acquisition settings where the performance of iris recognition algorithms degrades due to poor segmentation of the iris, image blur, specular reflections, and occlusions from eye lids and eye lashes, the periocular region has been shown to offer better recognition rates. However, the definition of a periocular region is subject to interpretation. This paper investigates the question of what is the best periocular region for recognition by identifying sub-regions of the ocular image when using near-infrared (NIR) or visible light (VL) sensors. To determine the best periocular region, we test two fundamentally different algorithms on challenging periocular datasets of contrasting build on four different periocular regions. Our results indicate that system performance does not necessarily improve as the ocular region becomes larger. Rather in NIR images the eye shape is more important than the brow or cheek as the image has little to no skin texture (leading to a smaller accepted region), while in VL images the brow is very important (requiring a larger region).
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