Simulating the actual imaging in the individual eye: a novel approach to calculating spectacle lenses

Abstract

When developing optical systems, every element within the light path is considered in technical optics. In ophthalmic optics, however, spectacle lenses are usually designed to provide a given optical power at a position called vertex sphere, ignoring the actual imaging processing inside the eye. We have developed a novel technology (trade name DNEye® PRO) overcoming this practice. The computation of the wavefronts does not stop at the back surface of the spectacle lens but is continued right into the eye through its refracting surfaces. The assessment no longer takes place at the vertex sphere, but at the retina. This calculation is based on individual measurements of biometrical parameters of the eye and comprises the complex shapes of the wavefronts and of the refracting surfaces including their higher-order components. As a result, effects which arise from the individual structure of the eye and its components are considered giving rise to sharper imaging and better design retention.