Optical image quality in the peripheral retina

A double-pass, photoelectric, ophthalmoscopic method was used for objective study of the variation in image quality across the retina in terms of the reflected image of a fine line, the line-spread function. Radial and tangential line-spread functions have been studied with active and paralyzed accommodation at eccentricities up to 45 deg. With large pupils, the retinal image quality remained relatively constant over the central 20 deg of field and deteriorated at larger field angles. The results are discusssed with respect to field curvature, peripheral acuity, and peripheral refraction.