Adaptive model of the aging emmetropic eye and its changes with accommodation

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Optical Engineering
• Biomedical Optics

Background:

• Understanding the human eye's optical system is crucial for diagnosing and correcting vision problems.
• Previous models often lacked adaptability to age-related changes and accommodation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a generalized schematic model of the emmetropic human eye.
• To incorporate age and accommodation effects on optical surfaces and lens structure.
• To evaluate the model's predictive accuracy for optical performance and aberrations.

Main Methods:

• Developed generalized models for the cornea and lens using biconic surfaces and Zernike modes.
• Integrated an adaptive gradient index lens structure.
• Included surface tips, tilts, and decentrations.
• Evaluated the polychromatic optical performance along the keratometric axis.

Main Results:

• The model accurately predicts common aberrations like chromatic aberration, astigmatism, coma, trefoil, and spherical aberration.
• Aberration changes with age and accommodation align with experimental data.
• The model demonstrates invariance of its analytical expression with age and accommodation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed schematic eye model effectively predicts average optical performance and aberrations.
• The model's adaptability to age and accommodation enhances its utility in vision science.
• Further refinement is needed to account for higher-order aberrations beyond those modeled.