OPTICAL AND RETINAL LIMITS TO HUMAN VISUAL PERFORMANCE

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term goal of our research program is to understand how optical and retinal factors constrain the quality of visual experience. Our specific aims for the next project period are (1) to expand the scope of wavefront aberrometry into the domain of real-world vision and (2) to use this expanded scope to investigate basic mechanisms of vision in clinical and normal populations. Results will improve understanding of the relative importance of ocular monochromatic and chromatic aberrations for vision, the role of peripheral retinal image quality in myopia, the role of color changes in the retinal image for spatial vision, the mechanism of binocular summation of aberrated images, the importance of pupil size in outcome assessment of refractive surgery, and the nature of the eye's internal optical structure. Project 1. Expand wavefront aberrometry into the domain of polychromatic light by developing and employing a novel, trichromatic wavefront aberrometer and polychromatic metrics of optical quality. We will use these tools to quantify the effects of ocular aberrations on spatial vision, blur perception, and refraction. Project 2. Expand wavefront-based analysis of retinal image quality into the peripheral visual field in normal and myopic eyes. Using polychromatic metrics of retinal image quality, test current hypotheses that myopic eyes have reduced image quality and a larger depth-of-focus in the peripheral field, which may disrupt normal emmetropization and promote axial myopia. Project 3. Evaluate the importance of color changes in the polychromatic retinal image caused by ocular aberrations. We will seek evidence that luminance dominates spatial vision but blur sign depends on color. Project 4. Expand wavefront aberrometry into the domain of binocular vision by simulating binocular integration of dissimilar retinal images and evaluating outcome with metrics of cyclopean image quality. Project 5. Expand the dynamic range and spatial resolution of wavefront aberrometry for measuring clinically abnormal eyes. Test the hypothesis that aberrations at the pupil margin causes night vision complaints. Project 6. Develop a new concept of wavefront tomography to characterize the 3-dimensional structure of the eye's optical system from a series of wavefront measurements along multiple lines-of-sight.