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Updated: Jun 1, 2026
07:06
Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients
Published on: March 29, 2022
Influence of age on peripheral ocular aberrations
Karthikeyan Baskaran1, Peter Unsbo, Jörgen Gustafsson
1Vision Enabling Laboratory, Section of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden. karthikeyan.baskaran@lnu.se
Summary
Peripheral higher-order aberrations increase with age in emmetropes, particularly coma and spherical aberration. This age-related change is more pronounced in the peripheral visual field.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Optometry
- Vision Science
Background:
- Understanding age-related changes in ocular aberrations is crucial for visual optics.
- Peripheral aberrations can impact visual quality and are less studied than central aberrations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare peripheral lower and higher-order aberrations in young and old healthy emmetropes.
- To investigate the influence of age and visual field eccentricity on ocular aberrations.
Main Methods:
- Measured off-axis aberrations in 60 emmetropes (30 young, 30 old) using a Shack-Hartmann aberrometer.
- Quantified aberrations with Zernike polynomials for a 4 mm pupil diameter.
- Analyzed refraction and aberration components across horizontal (±40°) and inferior (-20°) visual fields.
Main Results:
- Peripheral refraction components were similar between age groups.
- Horizontal coma and spherical aberration increased with eccentricity, more rapidly in older adults.
- Higher-order root mean square increased more with eccentricity in the older group.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral higher-order aberrations, specifically coma and spherical aberration, increase with age in emmetropes.
- These findings suggest age-related changes in the peripheral optical system.
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