Comparison of age-related changes between corneal and ocular aberration in young and mid-age myopic patients

To study the dynamic character of aberration between the cornea and the ocular with aging, and to evaluate the symmetry of the aberrations between right and left eye in order to supply the data for clinic to do the refractive surgery reasonably.

This is a comparative case series study. 82 normal cases (164 eyes) including 37 females (74 eyes) and 45 males (90 eyes) were recruited through the routine examinations, Topolyzer and wavefront analysis. The average age was 25.9±5.0 years old (range 18 to 49 years old), and the mean spherical equivalent (SE) is -3.82±2.21D (range -1.00 to -6.00D). The changes of aberrations regarding age, the relationship between anterior corneal and total aberrations were analyzed, as well as the symmetry between right and left eyes by using Zernike terms.

The Z(3) (1), RMS3 of corneal aberrations, Z(3) (1), Z(4) (0) , RMS3 and RMS4 of ocular aberrations had a positive correlation with age. The zernike terms both in corneal and whole eye were significantly correlated between right and left eyes.

The corneal horizontal coma, ocular horizontal coma and ocular spherical aberrations become to increase at the age of more than 40 years old. The dynamic change of aberration with aging, balance between corneal and ocular, and the symmetric character between left eye and right eye should be designed carefully in the treatment nomogram before the refractive surgery.