单纯性近视屈光不正眼高阶像差的观察

目的 观察年龄18～28岁青年人群眼球高阶像差的分布特点以及近视性屈光不正与高阶像差的关系.方法 对42只正视眼和112只单纯性近视眼使用 Hartmann-Shack原理设计的COAS波前像差仪进行波前像差检查,分别提取不同瞳孔直径时高阶像差的均方根(RMS)值,对比分析不同屈光状态组之间的高阶像差的差异性.结果 正视组和近视各组间在3～6mm 瞳孔直径下球差、慧差、三叶草、总高阶像差以及3rd至6th高阶像差差异有统计学意义.5mm和6mm瞳孔直径下,正视组和近视各组球差、三叶草、总高阶像差以及3rd、4th、6th高阶像差差异有统计学意义.瞳孔直径对高阶像差的影响显著,高阶像差随瞳孔变化的趋势表现出不一致性,随着瞳孔直径增大相应增加,总体以3rd和4th像差变化显著.各屈光度组的全眼高阶像差变异度较大,球差、三叶草分布离散程度分别于5mm和6mm瞳孔直径下差异有统计学意义(F=2.74,P=0.0454;F=3.93,P=0.0102).结论 正常人眼的高阶像差个体差异较大,近视的屈光度对高阶像差有一定的影响.     

Diurnal fluctuations and developmental changes in ocular dimensions and optical aberrations in young chicks

PURPOSE: To investigate further the emmetropization process in young chicks by studying the diurnal fluctuations and developmental changes in the ocular dimensions and optical aberrations, including refractive errors, of normal eyes and eyes that had the ciliary nerve sectioned (CNX). METHODS: The ocular dimensions and aberrations in both eyes of eight CNX (surgery on right eyes only) and eight normal chicks were measured with high-frequency A-scan ultrasonography and aberrometry, respectively, four times a day on five different days from posthatching day 13 to 35. A fixed pupil size of 2 mm was used to analyze aberration data. Repeated-measures ANOVA was applied to examine the effects of age, time of day, and surgery. RESULTS: Refractive errors and most higher-order aberrations decreased with development in both normal and CNX eyes. However, although normal eyes showed a positive shift in spherical aberration with age, changing from negative spherical aberration initially, CNX eyes consistently exhibited positive spherical aberration. Anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth, and thus optical axial length all increased with development. Many of these ocular parameters also underwent diurnal changes, and mostly these dynamic characteristics showed no age dependency and no effect of CNX. Anterior chamber depth, vitreous chamber depth, and optical axial length were all greater in the evening than in the morning, whereas the choroids were thinner in the evening. Paradoxically, eyes were more hyperopic in the evening, when they were longest. Although CNX eyes, having enlarged pupils, were exposed to larger higher-order aberrations, their growth pattern was similar to that of normal eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Young chicks that are still emmetropizing, show significant diurnal fluctuations in ocular dimensions and some optical aberrations, superimposed on overall increases in the former and developmental decreases in the latter, even when accommodation is prevented. The possibility that these diurnal fluctuations are used to decode the eye's refractive error status for emmetropization warrants investigation. That eyes undergoing ciliary nerve section have more higher-order aberrations but do not become myopic implies a threshold for retinal image degradation below which the emmetropization process is not affected.     

Wave aberrations in rhesus monkeys with vision-induced ametropias

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between refractive errors and high-order aberrations in infant rhesus monkeys. Specifically, we compared the monochromatic wave aberrations measured with a Shack-Hartman wavefront sensor between normal monkeys and monkeys with vision-induced refractive errors. Shortly after birth, both normal monkeys and treated monkeys reared with optically induced defocus or form deprivation showed a decrease in the magnitude of high-order aberrations with age. However, the decrease in aberrations was typically smaller in the treated animals. Thus, at the end of the lens-rearing period, higher than normal amounts of aberrations were observed in treated eyes, both hyperopic and myopic eyes and treated eyes that developed astigmatism, but not spherical ametropias. The total RMS wavefront error increased with the degree of spherical refractive error, but was not correlated with the degree of astigmatism. Both myopic and hyperopic treated eyes showed elevated amounts of coma and trefoil and the degree of trefoil increased with the degree of spherical ametropia. Myopic eyes also exhibited a much higher prevalence of positive spherical aberration than normal or treated hyperopic eyes. Following the onset of unrestricted vision, the amount of high-order aberrations decreased in the treated monkeys that also recovered from the experimentally induced refractive errors. Our results demonstrate that high-order aberrations are influenced by visual experience in young primates and that the increase in high-order aberrations in our treated monkeys appears to be an optical byproduct of the vision-induced alterations in ocular growth that underlie changes in refractive error. The results from our study suggest that the higher amounts of wave aberrations observed in ametropic humans are likely to be a consequence, rather than a cause, of abnormal refractive development.     

On-eye evaluation of optical performance of rigid and soft contact lenses.

A Shack-Hartmann aberrometer was used to assess the optical performances of eyes corrected with rigid or soft contact lenses compared with spectacles. Metrics of optical quality derived from the measured wave aberrations were consistent with the subjective rating of visual clarity by subjects. Optical aberration analysis illustrated the differences in aberration structures of eyes wearing different optical corrections. For our subjects, correction with a rigid gas-permeable lens yielded significantly better optical quality than did the soft contact lens or spectacle lens. This was due to a reduction in the eye's asymmetric (odd-order) aberrations and a reduction in the amount of the eye's positive spherical aberration. These observations can be explained by theoretical calculations of the aberrations of the eye plus lens optical system. We conclude that aberrometry provides a better understanding of the optical effects of contact lenses in situ and could be useful for optimizing future designs of contact lenses.     

Aberrations of the human eye in visible and near infrared illumination.

PURPOSE: In most current aberrometers, near infrared light is used to measure ocular aberrations, whereas in some applications, optical aberration data in the visible range are required. We compared optical aberration measurements using infrared (787 nm) and visible light (543 nm) in a heterogeneous group of subjects to assess whether aberrations are similar in both wavelengths and to estimate experimentally the ocular chromatic focus shift. METHODS: Ocular aberrations were measured in near infrared and visible light using two different laboratory-developed systems: laser ray tracing (LRT) and Shack-Hartmann. Measurements were conducted on 36 eyes (25 and 11 eyes, respectively), within a wide range of ages (20 to 71 years), refractive errors (-6.00 to +16.50), and optical quality (root mean square wavefront error, excluding defocus, from 0.40 to 9.89 microm). In both systems, wave aberrations were computed from the ray aberrations by modal fitting to a Zernike polynomial base (up to seventh order in laser ray tracing and sixth order in Shack-Hartmann). We compared the Zernike coefficients and the root mean square wavefront error corresponding to different terms between infrared and green illumination. RESULTS: A Student's t-test performed on the Zernike coefficients indicates that defocus was significantly different in all of the subjects but one. Average focus shift found between 787 nm and 543 nm was 0.72 D. A very small percentage of the remaining coefficients was found to be significantly different: 4.7% of the 825 coefficients (25 eyes with 33 terms) for laser ray tracing and 18.2% of the 275 coefficients (11 eyes with 25 terms) for Shack-Hartmann. Astigmatism was statistically different in 8.3% of the eyes, root mean square wavefront error for third-order aberrations in 16.6%, and spherical aberration (Z4(0)) in 11.1%. CONCLUSIONS: Aerial images captured using infrared and green light showed noticeable differences. Apart from defocus, this did not affect centroid computations because within the variability of the techniques, estimates of aberrations with infrared were equivalent to those measured with green. In normal eyes, the Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration of the Indiana Chromatic Eye Model can predict the defocus term changes measured experimentally, although the intersubject variability could not be neglected. The largest deviations from the prediction were found on an aphakic eye and on the oldest subject.     

Wavefront aberrations following laser in situ keratomileusis and refractive lens exchange for hypermetropia

PURPOSE: To compare the magnitude of aberrations in eyes after elective hypermetropic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and refractive lens exchange (clear lens replacement). METHODS: Forty-nine patients (92 eyes) had hypermetropic LASIK and 28 (48 eyes) had refractive lens exchange; 23 hypermetropic subjects (41 eyes) were the control group. LASIK was performed with the Nidek EC-5000 excimer laser; ablation zones 5.5 to 6.0-mm in diameter with transition zones 7.5 to 8-mm in diameter. For refractive lens exchange, all but four IOLs were made of foldable acrylic. Aberrations and corneal topography were measured with the Nidek OPD-Scan model ARK-10000 more than 12 months after surgery. The higher-order root-mean-square (HORMS) wave aberrations for combined third to sixth Zernike aberration orders and the Zernike spherical aberration coefficient C(0)(4) at both 4.2-mm and 6.0-mm pupil sizes were calculated. RESULTS: For the LASIK group, surgical refractive change correlated significantly with total, corneal, and internal HORMS and spherical aberrations (except with internal spherical aberration for a 4.2-mm diameter pupil). For the refractive lens exchange group, there were no significant correlations of surgical refractive change with any of these factors. Similarly, there were no significant correlations of refraction with any of these factors for the control group. For a 3-diopter change in refraction with 6-mm pupils, LASIK doubled the total HORMS aberrations. LASIK changed the sign of spherical aberration from positive to negative by increasing the negative asphericity of the anterior cornea. Taking age differences between groups into account, refractive lens exchange increased the total HORMS aberrations by 40% compared with that of the control group, but this was not statistically significant. However, refractive lens exchange significantly increased total spherical aberration. CONCLUSION: Refractive lens exchange was a better refractive procedure than LASIK for minimizing total higher order optical aberrations that accompany hypermetropic refractive surgery.     

Total and corneal optical aberrations induced by laser in situ keratomileusis for hyperopia

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes induced by standard laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for hyperopia on total and corneal optical quality. METHODS: Total and corneal aberrations were measured before and after standard hyperopic LASIK in 13 eyes (preoperative spherical equivalent refractive error +3.17 +/- 1.10 D). The Chiron Technolas 217C laser with PlanoScan was used. Total aberrations (measured using laser ray tracing) and corneal aberrations (estimated from a videokeratoscope) were described using Zernike terms. Root-mean-square wavefront error for both total and corneal aberrations, and through-focus Strehl ratio for the point spread function of the whole eye were used to assess optical changes induced by surgery. RESULTS: Third and higher order aberrations increased significantly after hyperopic LASIK (by a factor of 2.20 for total and 1.78 for corneal aberrations, for a 6.5-mm pupil). Spherical aberration changed to negative values (corneal average decreased by -0.85 +/- 0.48 microm and total average by -0.70 +/- 0.30 microm). Best Strehl ratio for the whole eye decreased by a factor of 1.84. Hyperopic LASIK induced larger changes than myopic LASIK, compared to an equivalent group of myopic eyes from a previous study. Induced corneal spherical aberration was six times larger after hyperopic LASIK, for a similar range of correction, and of opposite sign. As with myopic LASIK, changes in internal spherical aberration are of opposite sign to those induced on the corneal anterior surface. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperopic LASIK induced significant amounts of aberrations. The largest increase occurred in spherical aberration, which showed a shift (toward negative values) of opposite sign; increase was greater than for myopic LASIK.     

Corneal and total optical aberrations in a unilateral aphakic patient

PURPOSE: To measure corneal and total optical aberrations in the normal and treated eye of a unilateral aphakic patient to (1) cross-validate techniques in an eye in which corneal and total aberrations should be almost identical (aphakic eye) and (2) compare the interactions of corneal and internal aberrations in the normal eye with those in the aphakic eye. SETTING: Instituto de Optica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain. METHODS: Aberrations in both eyes of a unilateral aphakic patient were measured using laser ray tracing. Corneal aberrations were obtained from corneal elevation data measured with a corneal videokeratoscope (Humphrey Instruments) using custom software that performs virtual ray tracing on the measured front corneal surface. RESULTS: There was a 98.4% correspondence between the total and corneal aberration pattern in the aphakic eye (6.5 mm pupil). In the normal eye, the total spherical aberration was much lower than the corneal spherical aberration; this did not occur in the aphakic eye. CONCLUSIONS: The posterior corneal surface contributed slightly to the aberrations in the normal cornea (2% at most). The crystalline lens appears to play a compensatory role in the total spherical aberration in normal eyes.     

Evaluation of eye total aberration in patients with keratoconus

PURPOSE: Evaluation of total eye aberration in patients with I, II, III degree of keratoconus according to Amsler scale, and results compared with normal group patients, having only refractive error. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The analyzed group of patients consisted of 43 patients (55 eyes), who underwent examinations: visual acuity, subjective and objective refractive error, cornea keratometric power, pupil diameter and total eye aberration performed by System WASCA (Asclepion-Meditec). Our patients were divided in to two groups: group I--16 patients with keratoconus (25 eyes), group II--27 control patients (30 eyes). RESULTS: Comparison of all analyzed parameters in both groups were statistical significant. In eyes with keratoconus coma aberrations excel spherical aberrations.     

On the prediction of optical aberrations by personalized eye models.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to develop and analyze a method to obtain optical schematic models of individual eyes. Each model should be able to reproduce the measured monochromatic wave aberration with high fidelity. METHODS: First, we choose a generic eye model as the input guess and then apply a two-stage customization procedure. Stage 1 consists of replacing, in the initial generic model, those anatomic and optical parameters with experimental data measured on the eye under analysis. The set of experimental data was that provided by a standard clinical preoperative examination, namely lens topography, ultrasound biometry, and total wave aberration. Then, the second stage is to find the unknown lens structure that would reproduce the measured wave aberration through optical optimization. Two totally different initial eye models have been compared; one considers a simpler constant refractive index for the lens, whereas the second model has a gradient-index (GRIN) lens. RESULTS: This automatic customization method has been applied to 19 eyes with different degrees of spherical ametropia (from +0.4 D to -8 D). Two models have been obtained for each eye (constant and gradient index lens). The results were highly satisfactory, with 100% convergence, and with average RMS prediction errors approximately lambda/100. This is one order of magnitude lower than typical measurement errors. The models with a constant refractive index lens tended to overestimate surface curvatures, whereas for the GRIN model, lens surfaces were too flat. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method is highly efficient and robust giving a high-fidelity reproduction of the wavefront in all cases attempted so far. Limitations found in reproducing the geometry of the lens seem to be associated with the use of inaccurate models of its refractive index.     

Comparison of wavefront aberrations and optical quality of eyes implanted with five different intraocular lenses

PURPOSE: We compared corneal and total higher order wavefront aberrations in 25 pseudophakic eyes implanted with five different types of intraocular lenses to obtain an objective evaluation of the optical quality of these pseudophakic eyes. Five IOLs per type were studied. METHODS: Implanted lenses were the Pharmacia Tecnis Z9000 with negative spherical aberration, Pharmacia 911 Edge, Alcon Acrysof SA60AT and MA60BM, and Allergan Sensar AR40e. Eyes were examined using the Topcon KR-9000PW topographer/aberrometer, which obtains simultaneous coaxial measurements of corneal and ocular aberrations, and displays the calculated Point Spread Function (PSF) and Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). RESULTS: Corneal spherical aberration was positive in all tested eyes. For a 4-mm optical zone, ocular spherical aberration was 0.0054+/-0.0172 microm root-mean-square (RMS) in eyes implanted with the Tecnis lens, and was 0.0562 to 0.0974 microm RMS in eyes implanted with the four other conventional IOLs. A myopic refractive shift with mydriasis of -0.08 D occurred with the Tecnis IOL; it was -0.57 to -0.90 D with the conventional IOLs. Coma did not show a substantial reduction with any of the IOLs. Total wavefront aberrations showed nonsignificant reduction with the Tecnis lens. The PSF and the MTF also showed nonsignificant improvements over conventional IOLs. CONCLUSIONS: The optical quality of pseudophakic eyes can be measured in vivo by aberrometers. Different IOLs resulted in measurably different outcomes. In this preliminary study, compensation of the spherical aberration observed with the Tecnis lens confirmed the theoretical predictions associated with this lens and resulted in no myopic shift in refraction with mydriasis.     

Wavefront measurements of diffractive and refractive multifocal intraocular lenses in an artificial eye

PURPOSE: To investigate whether wavefront measurements taken in eyes that have implanted multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) are reliable when creating laser refractive surgical treatments to remove residual refractive error from these eyes. METHODS: A specially designed fluid-filled model eye holding a multifocal IOL was refracted using a commercial wavefront eye refractor. The wavefront findings were then compared to the expected refractive error. The fluid-filled model was designed to match the optical characteristics of a human eye and to hold the IOL at the same distance from the cornea as in a human eye. Lenses tested were AMO Tecnis ZM900 series (diffractive design, +25.00 D, +4.00 D add), AMO ReZoom NXG1 series (refractive design, 25.00 D, +4.00 D add), and AMO 811E (diffractive with aspheric design 25.00 D, +4.00 add). The visible pupil diameter was 5.75 mm. RESULTS: Diffractive bifocal IOLs were found to create spot doubling in the Shack-Hartmann sensor image as expected from theoretical considerations. However, the residual sphere power and cylinder power reported were those expected. In addition, the higher order aberrations reported were reasonable in light of expected results. Refractive multifocal IOLs were found to create distorted Shack-Hartmann images as expected. The residual sphere power and cylinder power reported were not those expected nor were the higher order aberrations. In addition, the higher order values were sensitive to the position of the eye with respect to the refractor. CONCLUSIONS: Wavefront measurements from eyes with diffractive IOLs can be used, with caution, to plan laser refractive treatments. Wavefront measurements from eyes with refractive multifocal IOLs should not be used to plan post-implant laser refractive correction.     

Validation of a clinical Shack-Hartmann aberrometer.

PURPOSE: To validate the accuracy, tolerance, and repeatability of the complete ophthalmic analysis system aberrometer (COAS, Wavefront Sciences Inc.) with model eyes and normal human eyes. METHOD: Model eyes were constructed from six polymethyl methacrylate, single-surface lenses with known characteristics. Accuracy of second-order aberrations was verified by measuring defocus and astigmatism induced by series of spherical and cylindrical trial lenses. Accuracy of higher-order aberrations was evaluated by comparing ray-tracing predictions with measured spherical aberration and coma of the aspheric model eyes. Tolerance to axial and lateral misalignment was measured by controlled displacements of the model eye relative to the aberrometer. Repeatability was tested on the same model eyes with repeated measurements taken within 1 s or within half an hour with realignment between each trial. Analyses were based on a 5-mm pupil diameter. RESULTS: Defocus and astigmatism were accurately measured within the working range of the instrument automatic focus adjustment (e.g., measured defocus was within +/-0.25 diopters over a -6.50 to +3.00 D range of refractive error). Accuracy of spherical aberration and coma agreed closely with theoretical predictions (e.g., for all six aspheric models, the mean absolute difference between predicted and measured Z(4)0 was 0.007 microm). Axial displacements over the range +/-2.5 mm had little effect on measurements for myopic and emmetropic model eyes. Also, lateral displacements over the range +/-1.5 mm did not produce significant coma. The standard deviations of repeated measurements of higher-order root mean square on model eyes were <1% of the mean with repeated measures within 1 s and 10% of the mean for five individual measurements with realignment in between each. Tolerance to small lateral displacements was also observed for human eyes. CONCLUSION: The complete ophthalmic analysis system aberrometer can measure second-, third-, and fourth-order aberrations accurately and repeatedly on model eyes.     

Longitudinal evaluation of optical aberrations following laser in situ keratomileusis surgery

Objective measurements of the optical aberrations of an eye were taken with a Shack-Hartmann aberrometer immediately before, immediately after, and at regular intervals over a two month recovery period following LASIK refractive surgery. Results indicate that the surgery induced large amounts of positive spherical aberration which regressed slightly during recovery. Computed point-spread functions for various pupil diameters indicate that retinal image quality was the same before and after surgery for small and medium sized pupils (<4 mm diameter) but was significantly degraded for large pupils (>4 mm).     

Optical quality and depth-of-field of eyes implanted with spherical and aspheric intraocular lenses

PURPOSE: To compare experimental optical performance in eyes implanted with spherical and aspheric intraocular lenses (IOLs). METHODS: Corneal, total, and internal aberrations were measured in 19 eyes implanted with spherical (n=9) and aspheric (n=10) IOLs. Corneal aberrations were estimated by virtual ray tracing on corneal elevation maps, and total aberrations were measured using a second-generation laser ray tracing system. Corneal and total wave aberrations were fit to a Zernike polynomial expansion. Internal aberrations were measured by subtracting corneal from total wave aberrations. Optical performance was evaluated in terms of root-mean-square (RMS) wavefront error and Strehl ratio (estimated from the modulation transfer function). Depth-of-field was obtained from through-focus Strehl estimates from each individual eye. RESULTS: Corneal aberrations increased after IOL implantation, particularly astigmatism and trefoil terms. Third and higher order RMS (and the corresponding Strehl ratio) were significantly better in eyes with aspheric IOLs than with spherical IOLs; however, this tendency was reversed when astigmatism was included. Spherical aberration was not significantly different in eyes with aspheric IOLs, whereas it was significantly positive in eyes with spherical IOLs. Third order aberrations were not significantly different across groups. Depth-of-field was significantly larger in eyes with spherical IOLs. Spherical IOLs showed better absolute optical quality in the presence of negative defocus >1.00 D. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a good degree of compensation of the corneal spherical aberration in eyes implanted with aspheric IOLs, as opposed to eyes implanted with spherical IOLs. Other sources of optical degradation, both with aspheric and spherical IOLs, are non-symmetric preoperative corneal aberrations, incision-induced aberrations, and third order internal aberrations. Although best corrected optical quality is significantly better with aspheric IOLs, tolerance to defocus tended to be lower.     

Optical performance of monofocal and multifocal intraocular lenses in the human eye

PURPOSE: To study the optical performance of intraocular lenses (IOLs) in the human eye to ascertain how multifocality affects the optical performance of refractive and diffractive technologies and the relationship to pupil size. SETTING: Vissum-Instituto de Oftalmológico de Alicante, Alicante, Spain. METHODS: Ten eyes each received the monofocal AcrySof MA60 IOL (Alcon) or 1 of the following multifocal pupil-dependent IOLs: diffractive AcrySof ReSTOR (Alcon) or refractive ReZoom (Advanced Medical Optics). The intraocular optical quality in vivo with 3.0 mm and 5.0 mm pupils was characterized by comparing the means of the difference between the total and corneal optical aberrations 3 months postoperatively. The main outcomes measures were total, higher-order, spherical, and coma aberrations (root-mean-square values); modulation transfer function values; point-spread function; and the Strehl ratio. RESULTS: The ReZoom group had higher in vivo intraocular aberrations than the AcrySof ReSTOR and AcrySof MA60 groups (P = .022). The difference in spherical aberration between the AcrySof ReSTOR and ReZoom groups was statistically significant with 5.0 mm pupils (P = .003) and 3.0 mm pupils (P = .001). The AcrySof ReSTOR group had statistically significant lower coma aberration values with a 5.0 mm pupil (P = .012); there were no differences between IOLs with a 3.0 mm pupil (P = .185). CONCLUSIONS: Multifocal refractive IOLs resulted in higher intraocular aberrations. The hybrid refractive-diffractive IOL was the least affected by pupil diameter in terms of intraocular aberrations and showed significantly less increase in optical aberrations when the pupil was enlarged.     

Wavefront analysis of higher-order aberrations in patients with cataract

PURPOSE: To determine local refractive changes and higher-order aberrations in patients with nuclear or cortical cataract. SETTING: Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan. METHODS: Wavefront analysis of both ocular and corneal aberrations was performed with the Hartmann-Shack aberrometer in 2 patients, a 22-year-old woman with bilateral developmental nuclear cataract and a 68-year-old woman with mild bilateral cortical cataract. RESULTS: Case 1 showed a delay in the wavefront that caused a myopic shift in the central pupillary area in both eyes, associated with the nuclear cataract. The spherical-like aberration (right eye, 36%; left eye, 21%) was greater than the coma-like aberration in both eyes. Case 2 showed an advancement of the wavefront that caused a hyperopic shift, especially in the lower temporal pupillary area, that was associated with the cortical cataract. The coma-like aberration (right eye, 63%; left eye, 52%) was greater than the spherical-like aberration in both eyes. The polarity of the third-order spherical aberration was negative in Case 1 and positive in Case 2. Corneal higher-order aberrations were small and had a different distribution than ocular higher-order aberrations in both patients. CONCLUSIONS: The Hartmann-Shack aberrometer was useful in detecting local refractive changes and higher-order aberrations in patients with mild cataract. The polarity and the absolute value of ocular higher-order aberrations may be useful parameters to characterize eyes with cataract.     

Monochromatic ocular wave aberrations in young monkeys

High-order monochromatic aberrations could potentially influence vision-dependent refractive development in a variety of ways. As a first step in understanding the effects of wave aberration on refractive development, we characterized the maturational changes that take place in the high-order aberrations of infant rhesus monkey eyes. Specifically, we compared the monochromatic wave aberrations of infant and adolescent animals and measured the longitudinal changes in the high-order aberrations of infant monkeys during the early period when emmetropization takes place. Our main findings were that (1) adolescent monkey eyes have excellent optical quality, exhibiting total RMS errors that were slightly better than those for adult human eyes that have the same numerical aperture and (2) shortly after birth, infant rhesus monkeys exhibited relatively larger magnitudes of high-order aberrations predominately spherical aberration, coma, and trefoil, which decreased rapidly to assume adolescent values by about 200 days of age. The results demonstrate that rhesus monkey eyes are a good model for studying the contribution of individual ocular components to the eye's overall aberration structure, the mechanisms responsible for the improvements in optical quality that occur during early ocular development, and the effects of high-order aberrations on ocular growth and emmetropization.     

Optical response to LASIK surgery for myopia from total and corneal aberration measurements.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the optical aberrations induced by LASIK refractive surgery for myopia on the anterior surface of the cornea and the entire optical system of the eye. METHODS: Total and corneal aberrations were measured in a group of 14 eyes (preoperative myopia ranging from -2.5 to -13 D) before and after LASIK surgery. Total aberrations were measured using a laser ray-tracing technique. Corneal aberrations were obtained from corneal elevation maps measured using a corneal system and custom software. Corneal and total wave aberrations were described as Zernike polynomial expansions. Root-mean-square (RMS) wavefront error was used as a global optical quality metric. RESULTS: Total and corneal aberrations (third-order and higher) showed a statistically significant increase after LASIK myopia surgery, by a factor of 1.92 (total) and 3.72 (corneal), on average. This increase was more pronounced in patients with the highest preoperative myopia. There is a good correlation (r = 0.97, P < 0.0001) between the aberrations induced in the entire optical system and those induced in the anterior corneal surface. However, the anterior corneal spherical aberration increased more than the total spherical aberration, suggesting also a change in the spherical aberration of the posterior corneal surface. Pupil centration and internal optical aberrations, which are not accounted for in corneal topography, play an important role in evaluating individual surgical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Because LASIK surgery induces changes in the anterior corneal surface, most changes in the total aberration pattern can be attributed to changes in the anterior corneal aberrations. However, because of individual interactions of the aberrations in the ocular components, a combination of corneal and total aberration measurements is critical to understanding individual outcomes, and by extension, to designing custom ablation algorithms. This comparison also reveals changes in the internal aberrations, consistent with the posterior corneal changes reported using scanning slit corneal topography.