Defocus Research Articles

Ocular biometric responses to simulated polychromatic defocus.

Evidence from human studies of ocular accommodation and studies of animals reared in monochromatic conditions suggest that chromatic signals can guide ocular growth. We hypothesized that ocular biometric response in humans can be manipulated by simulating the chromatic contrast differences associated with imposition of optical defocus. The red, green, and blue (RGB) channels of an RGB movie of the natural world were individually incorporated with computational defocus to create two different movie stimuli. The magnitude of defocus incorporated in the red and blue layers was chosen such that, in one case, it simulated +3 D defocus, referred to as color-signed myopic (CSM) defocus, and in another case it simulated -3 D defocus, referred to as color-signed hyperopic (CSH) defocus. Seventeen subjects viewed the reference stimulus (unaltered movie) and at least one of the two color-signed defocus stimuli for ∼1 hour. Axial length (AL) and choroidal thickness (ChT) were measured immediately before and after each session. AL and subfoveal ChT showed no significant change under any of the three conditions. A significant increase in vitreous chamber depth (VCD) was observed following viewing of the CSH stimulus compared with the reference stimulus (0.034 ± 0.03 mm and 0 ± 0.02 mm, respectively; p = 0.018). A significant thinning of the crystalline lens was observed following viewing of the CSH stimulus relative to the CSM stimulus (-0.033 ± 0.03 mm and 0.001 ± 0.03 mm, respectively; p = 0.015). Differences in the effects of CSM and CSH conditions on VCD and lens thickness suggest a directional, modulatory influence of chromatic defocus. On the other hand, ChT responses showed large variability, rendering it an unreliable biomarker for chromatic defocus-driven responses, at least for the conditions of this study.

A Multi-aperture Coaxial Projector Balancing Shadow Suppression and Deblurring.

This paper proposes a projection system that optically removes the cast shadow in projection mapping. Specifically, we realize the large-aperture (LA) projection using a large-format Fresnel lens to suppress cast shadows by condensing the projection light from a wide viewing angle. However, the resolution and contrast of the projected results are significantly degraded by defocus blur, veiling glare, and stray light caused by the aberration of an LA Fresnel lens. To solve the technical problems, we employ two different approaches: optical and digital image processing methods. First, we introduce a residual projector with a typical aperture lens on the same optical axis as the LA projector, projecting the residual (i.e., high-frequency) components attenuated in the LA projection. These projectors play different roles in shadow suppression and blur compensation, both achieved by projecting simultaneously. Secondly, we optimize the pair of projection images that can balance the shadow suppression and deblurring performance of our projection system. We implemented a proof-of-concept prototype and validated the above-mentioned techniques through projection experiments and a user study.

Comparing Optical Quality and Simulated Defocus Curves: A Head-To-Head Analysis of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Trifocal Intraocular Lenses.

AT ELANA is a recently introduced trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) made of a hydrophobic material. The new IOL's optical function was examined against an equivalent version made of hydrophilic material. . The David J. Apple Center for Vision Research, Heidelberg, Germany. Laboratory investigation. This optical investigation was conducted on +20D samples of the AT ELANA and the AT LISA tri. The area under the modulation transfer function (MTFa) served as a quality criterion. Simulated visual acuity (VA) and defocus curves across +1 to -3.5D range were derived from an empirical formula according to ANSI Z80.35. Susceptibility to photic phenomena was evaluated by assessing the light distribution around a point light source. The two models demonstrated comparable optical quality. While at distance, a 4% improvement was noted with the AT LISA tri, the AT ELANA's near MTFa was 5% higher. Only a marginal difference (1%) was noted at intermediate. Both IOLs reached simulated VA of 0.0 logMAR far vision, 0.10 logMAR at 80 cm, and 0.05 logMAR at 40 cm. Still, the near range was slightly expanded with the hydrophobic model. The light-spread profile was comparable between the two trifocals. The AT ELANA and the AT LISA tri demonstrated comparable optical quality and similarities in the potential for inducing photic phenomena. This study suggests that the hydrophobic trifocal IOL may provide visual range comparable to its hydrophilic counterpart. However, the asphericity change may facilitate the selection of a model that more effectively addresses specific corneal aberrations.

Dynamic BMP gene expression regulation in chick RPE during recovery from short term optical defocus and form-deprivation.

This study investigated the differential gene expression of BMPs in chick retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) during recovery from short term exposure to optical defocus and form-deprivation (FD) treatments. 14-day old White-Leghorn chicks wore either monocular +10 or -10 D lenses, or diffusers for 2 or 48 h, after which eyes were allowed unobstructed vision for up to 96 h. Over this recovery period, refractive errors and choroidal thickness (ChT) were tracked using retinoscopy and high-frequency A-scan ultrasonography. Real-time PCR was used to examine the expression of BMP2, 4, and 7 genes in RPE samples collected 0, 15 min, 2, 24, 48, and 96 h after the termination of treatments. Expression levels in treated eyes and their contralateral control eyes were compared. After the termination of the lens and diffuser treatments, eyes gradually recovered from induced shifts in refractive error. With all three treatments, ChT changes reached statistical significance after 48 h of treatment, be it thinning with the -10 D lens and diffuser treatments (-0.06 ± 0.03mm, p < 0.05; -0.11 ± 0.04 mm, p < 0.05, resp.), or thickening with the +10 D lens (0.31 ± 0.04 mm, p < 0.001). BMP2 gene expression was rapidly upregulated in eyes wearing the +10 D lens, being statistical significance after 2 h, as well as 48 h of treatment. With the 2 h treatment, the latter gene expression pattern persisted for 15 min into the recovery period, before decreasing to the same level as that of contralateral control eyes, with a short-lived rebound, i.e., upregulation, 24 h into the recovery period. With the longer, 48 h treatment, BMP2 gene expression decreased more gradually, from 739 ± 121% at the end of the treatment period, to 72 ± 14% after 48 h of recovery. Two and 48 h of both -10 D and FD treatments resulted in BMP2 gene expression downregulation, with the time taken for gene expression levels to fully recover varying with the duration of initial treatments. In both cases, BMP2 gene expression downregulation persisted for 15 min into the recovery period, but reversed to upregulation by 2 h. Similar gene expression patterns were also observed for BMP4, although the changes were smaller. The observed changes in BMP gene expression in chick RPE imply dynamic, albeit complex regulation, with the duration of exposure and recovery being critical variables for all three types of visual manipulations. This study provides further evidence for a role of the RPE as an important signal relay linking the retina to the choroid and sclera in eye growth regulation.

Optical quality changes of the eye during peak SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in young adults

IntroductionTo determine whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection affects corneal morphology and optical quality. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, ophthalmological indicators were examined during the peak of SARS-CoV-2 infection after adjusting for public health control measures. Participants were divided into control (remained uninfected), A (infected during follow-up), and B (infected prior to the first consultation) groups. Effects of varying SARS-CoV-2 infection levels were determined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Changes in corneal morphology, backscatter, and aberrations were measured. Corneal parameters, such as flat keratometry, steep keratometry, and surface variance, vertical asymmetry, height asymmetry, and height decentration indices were considered. ResultsOverall, 110 participants (208 eyes, 42.7% male; age 17–31 years) were enrolled. Eighteen (16.3%) were infection-free during the outbreak with unchanged corneal morphology, backscatter, and aberration. In group A, 34.73 ± 9.30 days after infection, the backscatter of the anterior corneal layer and central layer (both p=0.000) decreased. Total low-order aberration, defocus, horizontal coma, and spherical aberration of the cornea increased (p<0.05), while corneal morphology after infection did not change (p>0.05). In group B, a decrease in backscattering in the corneal middle layer and an increase in horizontal coma (p<0.05) were noted. ConclusionBackscattering of the anterior and intermediate layers of the cornea decreased and corneal aberrations increased after SARS-CoV-2 infection, which affected corneal optical quality. However, corneal morphology and thickness remained unchanged. Ophthalmological indicators and optical quality should be monitored during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Deep Single Image Defocus Deblurring via Gaussian Kernel Mixture Learning.

This paper proposes an end-to-end deep learning approach for removing defocus blur from a single defocused image. Defocus blur is a common issue in digital photography that poses a challenge due to its spatially-varying and large blurring effect. The proposed approach addresses this challenge by employing a pixel-wise Gaussian kernel mixture (GKM) model to accurately yet compactly parameterize spatially-varying defocus point spread functions (PSFs), which is motivated by the isotropy in defocus PSFs. We further propose a grouped GKM (GGKM) model that decouples the coefficients in GKM, so as to improve the modeling accuracy with an economic manner. Afterward, a deep neural network called GGKMNet is then developed by unrolling a fixed-point iteration process of GGKM-based image deblurring, which avoids the efficiency issues in existing unrolling DNNs. Using a lightweight scale-recurrent architecture with a coarse-to-fine estimation scheme to predict the coefficients in GGKM, the GGKMNet can efficiently recover an all-in-focus image from a defocused one. Such advantages are demonstrated with extensive experiments on five benchmark datasets, where the GGKMNet outperforms existing defocus deblurring methods in restoration quality, as well as showing advantages in terms of model complexity and computational efficiency.

Computational approach for correcting defocus and suppressing speckle noise in line-field optical coherence tomography images.

The trade-off between transverse resolution and depth-of-focus (DOF) typical for optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems based on conventional optics, prevents "single-shot" acquisition of volumetric OCT images with sustained high transverse resolution over the entire imaging depth. Computational approaches for correcting defocus and higher order aberrations in OCT images developed in the past require highly stable phase data, which poses a significant technological challenge. Here, we present an alternative computational approach to sharpening OCT images and reducing speckle noise, based on intensity OCT data. The novel algorithm uses non-local priors to model correlated speckle noise within a maximum a posteriori framework to generate sharp and noise-free images. The performance of the algorithm was tested on images of plant tissue (cucumber) and in-vivo healthy human cornea, acquired with line-field spectral domain OCT (LF-SD-OCT) systems. The novel algorithm effectively suppressed speckle noise and sharpened or recovered morphological features in the OCT images for depths up to 13×DOF (depth-of-focus) relative to the focal plane.

Chromatic cues for the sign of defocus in the peripheral retina.

Detecting optical defocus at the retina is crucial for accurate accommodation and emmetropization. However, the optical characteristics of ocular defocus are not fully understood. To bridge this knowledge gap, we simulated polychromatic retinal image quality by considering both the monochromatic wavefront aberrations and chromatic aberrations of the eye, both in the fovea and the periphery (nasal visual field). Our study revealed two main findings: (1) chromatic and monochromatic aberrations interact to provide a signal to the retina (chromatic optical anisotropy) to discern positive from negative defocus and (2) that chromatic optical anisotropy exhibited notable differences among refractive error groups (myopes, emmetropes and hyperopes). These findings could enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of defocus detection and their subsequent implications for myopia control therapies. Further research is needed to explore the retinal architecture's ability to utilize the optical signals identified in this study.

Refractive power profiles of commercially available soft multifocal contact lenses for myopia control.

Lens power profiles can provide valuable insights on the imposed optical defocus and visual experience of contact lens wearers, especially in the context of myopia control. This study measured the refractive power profiles of multifocal soft contact lenses (MFCLs) currently used or that have the potential for use in myopia control using high spatial resolution aberrometry. The instrument's repeatability for determining MFCLs power profiles was also assessed. The power profiles of 10 MFCLs of various designs (centre-distance, centre-near and extended depth of focus) were measured using the Lambda-X NIMOEVO, a phase shifting Schlieren-based device. Power profiles were graphically expressed as measured power at each chord position and the maximum add power was calculated. The repeatability of the NIMOEVO was expressed as the within-subject standard deviation at each chord position for a subset of five MFCLs. The measured distance powers differed from nominal powers for more than half of the MFCLs with a definable distance zone. There were variations in the chord position of the distance and near correction zones, rate of power transitions and calculated maximum add between the MFCLs which did not depend on lens design. For half of the MFCLs, the power profile shape was inconsistent between different nominal back vertex powers of the same design. The repeatability of the NIMOEVO was dependent on the lens design, with designs featuring faster rates of power change exhibiting worse repeatability. Significant differences in MFCL power profiles were found which were not adequately represented in labelling. This is likely due to the small number of parameters used to define lens power characteristics. Eye health care practitioners should be aware of potential differences in power profiles between different MFCLs, which will impact the retinal defocus introduced during lens wear and the wearer's visual experience.

Performance of a reference-free wavefront sensor based on the Talbot effect under Gaussian illumination

A reference-free wavefront reconstruction technique based on the Talbot sensor under Gaussian beam illumination is discussed in the paper. Since pit images are formed in several sequential planes due to the Talbot effect, it allows us to reconstruct the wavefront on the basis of two object self-images in nearby planes without any reference. Simulation results of the reference-free reconstruction of a defocus aberration of optical waves have been compared with the classical Talbot-sensor-based approaches. Additionally, the reconstruction error from the self-image of the gratings and the proposed reconstruction procedure that allows us to decrease wavefront estimation error are analyzed.

Detecting and tracking moving objects in defocus blur scenes

Object tracking stands as a cornerstone challenge within computer vision, with blurriness analysis representing a burgeoning field of interest. Among the various forms of blur encountered in natural scenes, defocus blur remains significantly underexplored. To bridge this gap, this article introduces the Defocus Blur Video Object Tracking (DBVOT) dataset, specifically crafted to facilitate research in visual object tracking under defocus blur conditions. We conduct a comprehensive performance analysis of 18 state-of-the-art object tracking methods on this unique dataset. Additionally, we propose a selective deblurring framework based on Deblurring Auxiliary Learning Net (DID-Anet), innovatively designed to tackle the complexities of defocus blur. This framework integrates a novel defocus blurriness metric for the smart deblurring of video frames, thereby enhancing the efficacy of tracking methods in defocus blur scenarios. Our extensive experimental evaluations underscore the significant advancements in tracking accuracy achieved by incorporating our proposed framework with leading tracking technologies.

Application of High-Speed Self-Aligned Focusing Schlieren System for Supersonic Flow Velocimetry

A self-aligned focusing schlieren (SAFS) system combines the field of view of a conventional schlieren system with the defocus blur of a focusing schlieren system away from the object plane. It can be assembled in a compact form, measuring 1.2 m (4 ft) in length in the described case. The depth of field is sufficiently shallow to distinguish specific spanwise features in a supersonic flow field within a 76.2 mm (3 in) wide test section. As a result, the boundary-layer perturbations on windows and window-material defects and surface imperfections are blurred. Analytical forms are derived for depth of field and vignetting of the SAFS system. A laser spark velocity measurement in Mach 2 flow is performed by tracking the blast wave of a laser spark using 500 kHz SAFS imaging with a 200 ns optical pulse width. The flow Mach number and stagnation temperature are measured by comparing the blast-wave dynamics to an analytical solution. Additionally, schlieren image velocimetry is performed by analyzing natural flow perturbations in 500 kHz SAFS images using a self-correlation method. Comparing the spectra of gas density perturbations from the core flow and a near-wall region reveals a significant difference, with high-frequency prevalence at the boundary-layer location.

A new, adaptive, self-administered, and generalizable method used to measure visual acuity.

Angular Indication Measurement (AIM) is an adaptive, self-administered, and generalizable orientation-judgment method designed to interrogate visual functions. We introduce AIM Visual Acuity (VA) and show its features and outcome measures. Angular Indication Measurement VA's ability to detect defocus was comparable with that of an Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letter chart and showed greater sensitivity to astigmatic blur. This proof-of-concept study introduces Angular Indication Measurement and applies it to VA. First, we compared the ability of AIM-VA and ETDRS to detect defocus and astigmatic blur in 22 normally sighted adults. Spherical and cylindrical lenses in the dominant eye induced blur. Second, we compared repeatability over two tests of AIM-VA and ETDRS. A repeated-measure analysis of variance showed a main effect for defocus blur and test. For the astigmatism experiment, an interaction between blur and orientation was found. Pairwise comparisons showed that AIM was more sensitive to astigmatic-induced VA loss than ETDRS. Bland-Altman plots showed small bias and no systematic learning effect for either test type and improved repeatability with more than two adaptive steps for AIM-VA. Angular Indication Measurement VA's ability to detect defocus was comparable with that of an ETDRS letter chart and showed greater sensitivity to induced astigmatic blur, and AIM-VA's repeatability is comparable with ETDRS when using two or more adaptive steps. Angular Indication Measurement's self-administered orientation judgment approach is generalizable to interrogate other visual functions, e.g., contrast, color, motion, and stereovision.

NeRF-FF: a plug-in method to mitigate defocus blur for runtime optimized neural radiance fields

Neural radiance fields (NeRFs) have revolutionized novel view synthesis, leading to an unprecedented level of realism in rendered images. However, the reconstruction quality of NeRFs suffers significantly from out-of-focus regions in the input images. We propose NeRF-FF, a plug-in strategy that estimates image masks based on Focus Frustums (FFs), i.e., the visible volume in the scene space that is in-focus. NeRF-FF enables a subsequently trained NeRF model to omit out-of-focus image regions during the training process. Existing methods to mitigate the effects of defocus blurred input images often leverage dynamic ray generation. This makes them incompatible with the static ray assumptions employed by runtime-performance-optimized NeRF variants, such as Instant-NGP, leading to high training times. Our experiments show that NeRF-FF outperforms state-of-the-art approaches regarding training time by two orders of magnitude—reducing it to under 1 min on end-consumer hardware—while maintaining comparable visual quality.

Defocus Blur Detection Attack via Mutual-Referenced Feature Transfer.

Benefiting from deep learning, defocus blur detection (DBD) has made prominent progress. Existing DBD methods generally study multiscale and multilevel features to improve performance. In this article, from a different perspective, we explore to generate confrontational images to attack DBD network. Based on the observation that defocus area and focus region in an image can provide mutual feature reference to help improve the quality of the confrontational image, we propose a novel mutual-referenced attack framework. Firstly, we design a divide-and-conquer perturbation image generation model, where the focus region attack image and defocus area attack image are generated respectively. Then, we integrate mutual-referenced feature transfer (MRFT) models to improve attack performance. Comprehensive experiments are provided to verify the effectiveness of our method. Moreover, related applications of our study are presented, e.g., sample augmentation to improve DBD and paired sample generation to boost defocus deblurring.

Combination effect of optical defocus and low dose atropine in myopia control: Study protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

Myopia, characterized by excessive axial elongation of the eyeball, increases risks of having sight-threatening diseases and impose a financial burden to healthcare system. Although myopic control interventions showed their effectiveness in slowing progression, the efficacy varies between individuals and does not completely halt progression. The study aims to investigate the efficacy of combining 0.01% atropine administered twice daily with optical defocus for myopia control in schoolchildren. This is a prospective, parallel-group, single-blinded, randomized, active-control trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06358755). Myopic schoolchildren with no previous myopic control interventions aged between 7 to 12 years will be recruited. They will be randomly allocated into two groups (n = 56 per group) after baseline measurement. Both groups will receive 0.01% atropine twice per day for 18 months (one drop in the morning and the other drop at night before bedtime). Defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses will be prescribed in atropine plus optical defocus (ATD) treatment group while single vision spectacle lenses will be given in atropine only (AT) group. Cycloplegic refraction and axial lengths will be monitored every 6 months over 18-month study period. The primary outcomes are changes in cycloplegic refraction and axial lengths relative to the baseline over the study period. The result will examine the combination effect of low dose atropine and myopic defocus on myopia control in a randomized controlled study. The findings will also explore the potential benefits of applying 0.01% atropine twice per day on myopic control and its potential side effects.

Imaging simulation and restoration for a mobile-based long-focus camera with optical stabilization

Image stabilization technology of the mobile-based long-focus camera is an influential factor that limits the imaging quality. Among them, the periscope lens system is a common choice and is capable of compensating for the external vibration by rotating its prism. To further investigate the impact of residual vibration during the optical image stabilization process, we propose an imaging simulation method to quantify the degradation and construct the corresponding dataset for training. We decompose the degradation into translation perpendicular to the optical axis on the image plane and defocus parallel to the optical axis. The defocus blur pattern is modified to better reproduce the spatially variant deterioration caused by defocus. Constructing synthetic datasets through our proposed imaging simulation method significantly reduces the cost of training the post-processing network while enhancing the imaging quality. Extensive experiments demonstrate the accuracy of our proposed method and the superiority of our synthetic dataset.

Contrast sensitivity is resilient to induced fast periodic defocus oscillations.

This study investigates the potential effects of periodic defocus oscillations on contrast sensitivity. Sinusoidal fluctuations at 5, 15, and 25 Hz, with defocus peak-to-valley values ranging from 0.15 to 3 D, were induced by means of a focus-tunable lens after calibrating its dynamic behavior. Monocular contrast sensitivity was measured on five young emmetropic subjects. The experimental data shows that contrast sensitivity loss due to defocus fluctuations is low for a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes. Only for the more severe case studied (25 Hz, ± 1.5 D) contrast threshold showed a clear increase in most subjects. Qualitative comparison of the empirical data with a simulation of modulation loss due to time integration of defocused retinal point spread functions, suggests a short integration time by the eye for defocus blur, around or even below a hundredth of a second.

Time characteristics of aero-optical imaging degeneration of the ellipsoidal dome under variable operating conditions

As a missile flies at high speed, the index and surface shape of the conformal dome will vary under the influence of the aero-optical effect, which will degenerate the performance of the seeker’s imaging detection system. However, many previous studies on aero-optical imaging deterioration of optical domes were usually carried out under fixed operating conditions, which are not in line with the real flight scene of the missile. In addition, the aero-optical imaging degeneration of the dome is diverse as the flight time increases. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the time characteristics of aero-optical imaging degradation of optical domes under variable work conditions. In this study, taking an air-to-air missile as an example, the Zernike polynomials, wavefront aberration, Strehl ratio, and image simulation are applied to evaluate the aero-optical imaging deterioration of an ellipsoidal dome in the flight time range of 0–10 s under variable working conditions. The simulation results show that, as the flight time increases, (1) the dynamic range of tilt, defocus, astigmatism, coma, and wavefront aberration increase; and (2) the Strehl ratio and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of the simulated images decrease. Therefore, the influence of flight time on the aero-optical image degradation of the ellipsoidal dome gradually becomes more serious.

Defining metrics of visual acuity from theoretical models of observers.

Many experimental studies show that metrics of visual image quality can predict changes in visual acuity due to optical aberrations. Here we use statistical decision theory and Fourier optics formalism to demonstrate that two metrics known in the field of vision sciences are approximations of two different theoretical models of linear observers. The theory defines metrics of visual acuity to potentially predict changes in visual acuity due to optical aberrations, without needing a posteriori scale or offset. We illustrate our approach with experiments, using combinations of defocus and spherical aberration, and pure coma.