Measurement, Modeling and Improvement of Optical Image Quality in Human Eyes

Abstract

New objective methods to measure the optical aberrations of the eye are reviewed, in particular the probably more representative ones: Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor and laser ray tracing. They are shown to be robust andprovide highly reliable data, which are permitting to obtain many new results about the optics of the eye in basic and clinical studies. In addition, different experiments have demonstrated the correction of eye's aberration. Again two representative approaches are reviewed. The first results were obtained with the close-loop adaptive optics system developed at the University of Rochester. Later on, phase plates made by photosculpture in photoresist (placed in front of the eye like conventional lenses) have also permitted the correction of ocular aberrations. This is a new, but already very active field of research, which has open many new questions and a wide variety of applications.