Paula Bernal-Molina

Accommodation Responds to Optical Vergence and Not Defocus Blur Alone

Purpose To determine whether changes in wavefront spherical curvature (optical vergence) are a directional cue for accommodation. Methods Nine subjects participated in this experiment. The accommodation response to a monochromatic target was measured continuously with a custom-made adaptive optics system while astigmatism and higher-order aberrations were corrected in real time. There were two experimental open-loop conditions: vergence-driven condition, where the deformable mirror provided sinusoidal changes in defocus at the retina between -1 and +1 diopters (D) at 0.2 Hz; and blur-driven condition, in which the level of defocus at the retina was always 0 D, but a sinusoidal defocus blur between -1 and +1 D at 0.2 Hz was simulated in the target. Right before the beginning of each trial, the target was moved to an accommodative demand of 2 D. Results Eight out of nine subjects showed sinusoidal responses for the vergence-driven condition but not for the blur-driven condition. Their average (±SD) gain for the vergence-driven condition was 0.50 (±0.28). For the blur-driven condition, average gain was much smaller at 0.07 (±0.03). The ninth subject showed little to no response for both conditions, with average gain <0.08. Vergence-driven condition gain was significantly different from blur-driven condition gain (P = 0.004). Conclusions Accommodation responds to optical vergence, even without feedback, and not to changes in defocus blur alone. These results suggest the presence of a retinal mechanism that provides a directional cue for accommodation from optical vergence.

Changes in the objective amplitude of accommodation with pupil size.

Purpose We evaluate the effect of pupil size on objectively measured amplitude of accommodation (AA). Methods Pupil diameter and wavefront aberrometry were obtained in 15 eyes when stimulus swept across the range of clear vision in steps of 0.5 diopters. Wavefront refraction techniques were used to compute objective AA as the maximum refractive change. Measurements were obtained monocularly under low and high ambient room lighting conditions with a fixed luminance of the fixation target. Amplitude of accommodation computations were performed taking into account just paraxial rays (paraxial AA) or including the effects of the change of spherical aberration during accommodation (minRMS AA). Results Mean pupil size values at low light level were 6.26 mm (relaxed) and 4.15 mm (maximum accommodation), whereas at the high light level, those values became 4.74 and 3.04 mm, respectively. The effects of both light level on accommodation were significant (p < 0.001), and accommodative miosis was slightly larger at low light levels. Mean minRMS and paraxial AA were always greater by more than 1 diopter in high than in low ambient lighting conditions (p < 0.01), indicating a significant impact of pupil size on AA. Conclusions The influence of the ambient lighting on the objective AA is not only attributed to the increased effects of spherical aberration as the pupil dilates but mostly attributed to a decrease in the paraxial accommodation as pupil dilates.

Human eyes do not need monochromatic aberrations for dynamic accommodation

To determine if human accommodation uses the eyes own monochromatic aberrations to track dynamic accommodative stimuli.

The effect of longitudinal chromatic aberration on the lag of accommodation and depth of field

Longitudinal chromatic aberration is present in all states of accommodation and may play a role in the accommodation response and the emmetropisation process. We study the change of the depth of field (DOFi) with the state of accommodation, taking into account the longitudinal chromatic aberration.

Depth-of-field of the accommodating eye.

Purpose To obtain experimental values of the depth-of-field (DOFi) of the human eye for different accommodative states. Methods First, the monochromatic ocular wavefront of seven eyes from young subjects (mean [±SD] age, 29.7 [±7.7] years) was measured at eight different accommodative demands (ADs) (from −1 to 6 diopters [D] in steps of 1 D). Then, in a second part, accommodation was paralyzed and an adaptive optics system was used to correct the aberrations of the paralyzed eye and to simulate, with the aid of an artificial pupil, the wavefront of the accommodated eye. The simulation was performed for each AD measured in the first part of the experiment. A Badal system was used to modify the stimulus vergence so as to obtain three repeated measurements of the subjective DOFi, based on the criterion of an objectionable blur. Results When increasing AD from 0 to 6 D, the mean intersubject pupil diameter and DOFi changed from 5.70 to 4.62 mm and from 0.85 ± 0.26 D to 1.07 ± 0.19 D, respectively. All subjects presented a similar DOFi for all AD (intrasubject SD never exceeded 0.23 D). Paraxial accommodation response showed a lag that increased with the AD. For the lowest (0 D) and the highest (6 D) values of AD, the refractive state of the eye was close to the nearest and furthermost ends of the DOFi, respectively. Conclusions The visual system takes advantage of the DOFi to change the refractive state less than necessary to form the paraxial image at the retina when it comes to focusing a near target (5 to 6 D of AD). This indicates that the main purpose of accommodation is not to maximize retinal image quality but to form one that is good enough.

Dynamic accommodation without feedback does not respond to isolated blur cues

&NA; The aim of this study was to determine whether dynamic accommodation responds to isolated blur cues without feedback, and without changes in the distance of the object. Nine healthy subjects aged 21–40 years were recruited. Four different aberration patterns were used as stimuli to induce blur with (1) the eyes natural, uncorrected, optical aberrations, (2) all aberrations corrected, (3) spherical aberration only, or (4) astigmatism only. The stimulus was a video animation based on computer‐generated images of a monochromatic Maltese cross. Each individual video was generated for each subject off‐line, after measuring individual aberrations at different accommodation levels. The video simulated sinusoidal changes in defocus at 0.2 Hz. Dynamic images were observed through a 0.8 mm pinhole placed at a plane conjugated with the eyes pupil, thus effectively removing potential feedback stemming from accommodation changes. Accommodation responses were measured with a Hartmann‐Shack aberrometer for the four different aberration patterns. The results showed that seven out of nine subjects did not respond to any stimuli, whereas the response of the other two subjects was erratic and they seemed to be searching rather than following the stimulus. A significant reduction in average accommodative gain (from 0.52 to 0.11) was obtained when the dioptric demand cue was removed. No statistically significant differences were found among the experimental conditions used. We conclude that aberration related blur does not drive the accommodation response in the absence of feedback from accommodation. HighlightsA new methodology is used to study a potential cue for dynamic accommodation.We show that human accommodation is not driven correctly by defocus alone.Accommodation is most efficient using changes in stimulus vergence with feedback.

Influence of Ametropia and Its Correction on Measurement of Accommodation.

PURPOSE Amplitude of accommodation (AA) is reportedly greater for myopic eyes than for hyperopic eyes. We investigated potential explanations for this difference. METHODS Analytical analysis and computer ray tracing were performed on two schematic eye models of axial ametropia. Using paraxial and nonparaxial approaches, AA was specified for the naked and the corrected eye using the anterior corneal surface as the reference plane. RESULTS Assuming that axial myopia is due entirely to an increase in vitreous chamber depth, AA increases with the amount of myopia for two reasons that have not always been taken into account. First is the choice of reference location for specifying refractive error and AA in diopters. When specified relative to the cornea, AA increases with the degree of myopia more than when specified relative to the eyes first Gaussian principal plane. The second factor is movement of the eyes second Gaussian principal plane toward the retina during accommodation, which has a larger dioptric effect in shorter eyes. CONCLUSIONS Using the corneal plane (placed at the corneal vertex) as the reference plane for specifying accommodation, AA depends slightly on the axial length of the eyes vitreous chamber. This dependency can be reduced significantly by using a reference plane located 4 mm posterior to the corneal plane. A simple formula is provided to help clinicians and researchers obtain a value of AA that closely reflects power changes of the crystalline lens, independent of axial ametropia and its correction with lenses.

Opto-mechanical artificial eye with accommodative ability.

The purpose of this study was to describe the design and characterization of a new opto-mechanical artificial eye (OMAE) with accommodative ability. The OMAE design is based on a second-pass configuration where a small source of light is used at the artificial retina plane. A lens whose focal length can be changed electronically was used to add the accommodation capability. The changes in the OMAEs aberrations with the lens focal length, which effectively changes the accommodative state of the OMAE, were measured with a commercial aberrometer. Changes in power and aberrations with room temperature were also measured. The OMAEs higher-order aberrations (HOAs) were similar to the ones of the human eye, including the rate at which fourth-order spherical aberration decreased with accommodation. The OMAE design proposed here is simple, and it can be implemented in an optical system to mimic the optics of the human eye.

Focus correction in an apodized system with spherical aberration

We performed a theoretical and computational analysis of the through-focus axial irradiance in a system with a Gaussian amplitude pupil function and fourth- and sixth-order spherical aberration (SA). Two cases are analyzed: low aberrated systems, and the human eye containing significant levels of SA and a natural apodization produced by the Stiles-Crawford effect. Results show that apodization only produces a refraction change of the plane that maximized the Strehl ratio for eyes containing significant levels of negative SA.

Effect of Phenylephrine on the Accommodative System

Accommodation is controlled by the action of the ciliary muscle and mediated primarily by parasympathetic input through postganglionic fibers that originate from neurons in the ciliary and pterygopalatine ganglia. During accommodation the pupil constricts to increase the depth of focus of the eye and improve retinal image quality. Researchers have traditionally faced the challenge of measuring the accommodative properties of the eye through a small pupil and thus have relied on pharmacological agents to dilate the pupil. Achieving pupil dilation (mydriasis) without affecting the accommodative ability of the eye (cycloplegia) could be useful in many clinical and research contexts. Phenylephrine hydrochloride (PHCl) is a sympathomimetic agent that is used clinically to dilate the pupil. Nevertheless, first investigations suggested some loss of functional accommodation in the human eye after PHCl instillation. Subsequent studies, based on different measurement procedures, obtained contradictory conclusions, causing therefore an unexpected controversy that has been spread almost to the present days. This manuscript reviews and summarizes the main research studies that have been performed to analyze the effect of PHCl on the accommodative system and provides clear conclusions that could help clinicians know the real effects of PHCl on the accommodative system of the human eye.