Correcting Higher Order Aberrations In The Human Eye
The human cornea accounts for approximately two-thirds of the total refractive power of the human eye. Disorders that distort its shape and smoothness induce irregular astigmatism and higher order aberrations that are uncorrectable with spectacles. Because the refractive index of tear and cornea are similar, a rigid contact lens masks most (9/10) of the refractive power of the corneal surface, including irregular astigmatism. Yet, significant residual HOAs that degrade visual performance remain a significant issue in eyes with certain common corneal disease. The 501(3) nonprofit Boston Foundation for Sight fits these eyes with a unique hard contact lens that is rotationally stable and immobile on blinking. These features make it an excellent vehicle for correcting eye-specific residual higher order aberrations. The Foundation in collaboration with Geunyoung Yoon, Associate Professor at the Institute of Optics and Center for Visual Science at the Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, is working to customize the optics of the BOS-P to correct eye-specific residual higher order aberrations based on mapping Zernike polynomials and generating correcting front surface optics perturbations.
