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Correcting ocular spherical aberration with soft contact lenses
Holger H Dietze1, Michael J Cox
1Department of Optometry, University of Bradford, Richmond Road, Bradford, BD7 1DP UK.
Summary
Custom soft contact lenses (SCLs) designed to correct spherical aberration (SA) showed limited visual benefits. While reducing SA, these lenses did not improve visual acuity and sometimes increased other aberrations like coma.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Optometry
- Vision Science
Background:
- Spherical aberration (SA) is a common refractive error.
- Soft contact lenses (SCLs) offer a potential method for correcting SA.
- Custom-designed SCLs aim to address individual ocular aberrations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of custom-made aspheric front surface SCLs in correcting ocular SA.
- To compare visual performance with custom SCLs, standard SCLs, and spectacle correction.
- To assess the impact of SCLs on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- Aberroscopy was used to measure ocular aberrations.
- Custom aspheric SCLs were fabricated for myopic and hypermetropic subjects.
- On-eye aberrations, visual acuity (logMAR), and contrast sensitivity were measured and compared.
Main Results:
- Custom-made and standard SCLs reduced ocular SA.
- Aberration-free SCL designs increased SA and coma.
- No significant change in visual acuity was observed with any SCL type.
- Contrast sensitivity at 6 cycles/degree improved with custom SCLs.
Conclusions:
- Custom aspheric SCLs can reduce ocular SA but offer limited visual benefits.
- Increased coma and uncorrected astigmatism may negate potential visual gains.
- Further research is needed to optimize SCL designs for aberration correction.