A system and method are provided that use eye gaze as a pointing or selection tool, which enables hands-free operation of a display such as a television. wherein the use of eye gaze as an input can also lead to easier and faster interactions when compared to traditional remote controls. A system and method are also provided that use eye tracking on displays such as televisions to determine what content was viewed and, by association, what content was of most interest to the user. Systems and methods are also described that enable interaction with elements displayed in an augmented reality environment using gaze tracking and for controlling gaze tracking on a portable electronic device.