Wide-field optical eye models for emmetropic and myopic eyes.

Abstract

Ocular wavefront aberrations are used to describe retinal image formation in the study and modeling of foveal and peripheral visual functions and visual development. However, classical eye models generate aberration structures that generally do not resemble those of actual eyes, and simplifications such as rotationally symmetric and coaxial surfaces limit the usefulness of many modern eye models. Drawing on wide-field ocular wavefront aberrations measured previously by five laboratories, 28 emmetropic (-0.50 to +0.50 D) and 20 myopic (-1.50 to -4.50 D) individual optical eye models were reverse-engineered by optical design ray-tracing software. This involved an error function that manipulated 27 anatomical parameters, such as curvatures, asphericities, thicknesses, tilts, and translations-constrained within anatomical limits-to drive the output aberrations of each model to agree with the input (measured) aberrations. From those resultant anatomical parameters, three representative eye models were also defined: an ideal emmetropic eye with minimal aberrations (0.00 D), as well as a typical emmetropic eye (-0.02 D) and myopic eye (-2.75 D). The cohorts and individual models are presented and evaluated in terms of output aberrations and established population expectations, such as Seidel aberration theory and ocular chromatic aberrations. Presented applications of the models include the effect of dual focus contact lenses on peripheral optical quality, the comparison of ophthalmic correction modalities, and the projection of object space across the retina during accommodation.