K Ashley Tuan | PubMed Health

PubMedDate not supplied

Corneal asphericity and retinal image quality: a case study and simulations.

PURPOSE: The optical quality of retinal images is dependent on the refracting elements of the eye including the nominally aspheric cornea and crystalline lens. This paper presents a retrospective theoretical analysis of the impact of corneal asphericity on the quality of retinal images. Clinical data are from the VISX Incorporated CustomVue IDE. METHOD: Topography, contrast sensitivity, and visual acuity data were collected from 278 myopic eyes before and after wavefront-guided laser surgery. The measured corneal surface of each eye was fitted to a conic, and a Q-value was computed for a 5.5-mm pupil. A model eye was used to simulate various amounts of optical asphericity. RESULTS: Preoperatively, most corneas exhibited negative conic shape constants. Postoperatively, corneas were about equally divided between positive and negative conics. There was no statistically significant correlation between the shape of the cornea and the subjects' perceptions of image quality including contrast sensitivity and visual acuity. Simulations showed that the corneal Q-value can vary from more to less prolate depending upon the shape of the internal surface. CONCLUSION: Following wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), contrast sensitivity is usually good and is not dependent upon the corneal conic shape. Better visual outcomes are more likely with a customized shape than a standard best conic shape.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in wavefront aberration with pharmaceutical dilating agents.

PURPOSE: Finding the best way to capture the wavefronts of small pupils for refractive surgery has become a more pressing issue as the general population ages. This study explores whether pharmaceutical dilation impacts wavefront measurement and pupil centroid. METHODS: Baseline measurements were performed on 32 eyes using the VISX WaveScan Wavefront system. Pupils were dark adapted. One drop of 0.05% tropicamide was placed in each eye, and wavefront measurements were conducted at 10, 20, and 30 minutes. One drop each of 0.5% tropicamide and 2.5% phenylephrine were administered after the measurements. Wavefronts were captured again 30 minutes after the last eye drop. All patients returned for repeated procedures. Wavefront analysis was performed using the same pupillary area as the smallest capture from the same visit. Pupil center shift was taken into account. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 40 +/- 12 years (range: 20 to 59 years). Mean dark-adapted pupil was 6.40 +/- 1.17 mm. Pupil centers shifted randomly after pharmacological dilation compared to the dark-adapted condition. Pupil centers of 45% of the population shifted by > or = 0.2 mm. Repeatability coefficients were established for the wavefront measurements. After controlling for pupil diameter and pupil center, total high order aberrations root-mean-square (RMS) had changed significantly in 18% of the population. The diluted tropicamide formula, which caused less dilation effect, also induced less high order aberration RMS change. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmaceutical dilation agents cause random shifts of the pupil centroid from the dark-adapted pupil condition and could induce changes in wavefront measurements. Caution is required when resorting to dilation to obtain a wavefront measurement of smaller pupils.

Adult↗