Age-related changes of defocus-specific contrast sensitivity in healthy subjects

To investigate the effect of defocus on contrast sensitivity as a function of age in healthy subjects, the through focus contrast sensitivity was measured in 100 healthy subjects aged 20-69. Defocus-specific changes in contrast sensitivity reflect age-related changes in the optics of the eye. Tests were performed in cycloplegic eyes varying artificial pupil size (2, 4 and 6 mm), defocus (-1 to +2 D), and spatial frequency (1-16 cpd). Integrated contrast sensitivity was taken as a measure for the total amount of visual information transferred by the optical media. At optimal focus, integrated contrast sensitivity and log contrast sensitivity at 8 cpd showed a significant age-related decline. The log contrast sensitivity at 1 cpd appeared to be independent of age. The depth of focus for a 4-mm pupil increased significantly with age, even though contrast sensitivity at +2 D defocus decreases with age too, but not as much as the contrast sensitivity at optimal focus. Our study indicates that the effect of defocus on contrast sensitivity decreases with age; this was attributed to age-related changes in the optical media.