Scale and spatial distribution of aberrations associated with tear breakup.

PURPOSE: We examined the spatial correlation between tear breakup (TBU) and the associated optical anomalies on multiple spatial scales. METHODS: Five subjects refrained from blinking while the time course and patterns of TBU were sequentially observed using fluorescein, retroillumination, and Shack-Hartmann (SH) aberrometry. Wavefront error maps were developed using Zernike polynomials, as well as local zonal analysis of measured wavefront slopes. The difference between these maps reveals the presence of very high-order aberrations missed by standard modal fitting methods. Size of SH spots was also quantified to estimate optical perturbations on a microscopic scale. The spatial correlation between TBU and optical aberrations was also computed. RESULTS: Degradation of the tear film increased wavefront aberrations over all spatial scales measured. Consistent with tear thinning, blink suppression induced an irregular pattern of phase advances in regions of TBU. SH spot size also increased in regions of TBU, which indicates the presence of optical aberrations on a scale smaller than individual lenslets. CONCLUSIONS: The optical signature of TBU caused by blink suppression is a combination of wavefront aberrations on macroscopic and microscopic scales due to non-uniform tear film thinning and possible exposure of a rough epithelial surface. Localized optical defects correspond temporally and spatially with TBU revealed by fluorescein and retroillumination. In addition to gross wavefront aberrations, scatter develops in areas of TBU that will further contribute to image degradation and visual disturbances after TBU.

Blinking and tear break-up during four visual tasks.

PURPOSE: This study investigates the relationship between blinking, tear film break-up, and ocular symptoms for normal and dry eye subjects performing four different visual tasks. METHODS: Sixteen control and sixteen dry eye subjects performed four visual tasks (looking straight ahead, watching a movie, identifying rapidly changing letters, and playing a computer game) while blink patterns and fluorescein images of the tear film were videotaped. Pre and posttesting symptom questionnaires, querying the intensity of nine symptoms of ocular irritation, were completed by all subjects. Blink rate and blink amplitude were computed from digitized videos. The percentage of tear film break-up before the blink was calculated. RESULTS: Dry eye subjects had a significantly higher blink rate (p = 0.017, t-test). Both groups blinked significantly less during the game and letter tasks (p < 0.04, t-test). Partial blinks were common as were clusters or "flurries" of rapid blinks, but there was no significant difference in blink amplitude for control and dry eye subjects. Tear film break-up in normal subjects was typically inferior; whereas dry eye subjects showed more tear break-up centrally and superiorly. Real-time video recording of tear break-up and blink behavior pointed to complex interaction between the two. Dry eye subjects shifted more toward intense ocular symptoms at posttesting (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon signed rank) than controls. Both groups showed a shift toward more corneal staining at posttesting (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon signed rank), which was typically inferior. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced and incomplete blinking along with increased tear film break-up during normal visual tasks may explain the increased level of ocular discomfort symptoms reported at the end of the day, particularly in dry eye patients.

Test-retest reliability of clinical Shack-Hartmann measurements.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the stability of clinical monochromatic aberrometry measurements over a wide range of time scales. METHODS: Monochromatic aberrations in four normal eyes were measured with a clinical Shack-Hartmann aberrometer. A chin rest or a supplemental bite bar attachment was used to stabilize head and eye position. Five repeated measurements were taken within one test (5 frames, t < 1 second) without realignment. With realignment between each measurement, aberration measurements were repeated five times (t < 1 hour) on each day, at the same time of day on five consecutive days, and again on 5 days at monthly intervals. A control experiment studied the effect of systematically misaligning the eye to determine whether fixation errors can account for the variation in the repeated measurements. RESULTS: Variability of wavefront root mean square (RMS) error (excluding defocus and astigmatism) was tracked across repeated measurements. Variances for different time scales were: 8.10 x 10(-5) microm2 (t < 1 second), 3.24 x 10(-4) microm2 (t < 1 hour), 4.41 x 10(-4) microm2 (t < 1 week), 9.73 x 10(-4) microm2 (t < 1 year). Bite bar and chin rest data were almost identical. Rotational fixation error up to 3 degrees accounts for only part of the variability. CONCLUSIONS: Increased variability in aberration maps between days and months indicates biological fluctuations that are large enough to prevent achievement of "perfect vision," even in the unlikely event that spherical and astigmatic refractive errors are corrected perfectly. However, lack of stability does not justify withholding treatment. A lasting benefit of aberration correction is expected despite temporal variability.

Validation of a clinical Shack-Hartmann aberrometer.

PURPOSE: To validate the accuracy, tolerance, and repeatability of the complete ophthalmic analysis system aberrometer (COAS, Wavefront Sciences Inc.) with model eyes and normal human eyes. METHOD: Model eyes were constructed from six polymethyl methacrylate, single-surface lenses with known characteristics. Accuracy of second-order aberrations was verified by measuring defocus and astigmatism induced by series of spherical and cylindrical trial lenses. Accuracy of higher-order aberrations was evaluated by comparing ray-tracing predictions with measured spherical aberration and coma of the aspheric model eyes. Tolerance to axial and lateral misalignment was measured by controlled displacements of the model eye relative to the aberrometer. Repeatability was tested on the same model eyes with repeated measurements taken within 1 s or within half an hour with realignment between each trial. Analyses were based on a 5-mm pupil diameter. RESULTS: Defocus and astigmatism were accurately measured within the working range of the instrument automatic focus adjustment (e.g., measured defocus was within +/-0.25 diopters over a -6.50 to +3.00 D range of refractive error). Accuracy of spherical aberration and coma agreed closely with theoretical predictions (e.g., for all six aspheric models, the mean absolute difference between predicted and measured Z(4)0 was 0.007 microm). Axial displacements over the range +/-2.5 mm had little effect on measurements for myopic and emmetropic model eyes. Also, lateral displacements over the range +/-1.5 mm did not produce significant coma. The standard deviations of repeated measurements of higher-order root mean square on model eyes were <1% of the mean with repeated measures within 1 s and 10% of the mean for five individual measurements with realignment in between each. Tolerance to small lateral displacements was also observed for human eyes. CONCLUSION: The complete ophthalmic analysis system aberrometer can measure second-, third-, and fourth-order aberrations accurately and repeatedly on model eyes.

Use of retroillumination to visualize optical aberrations caused by tear film break-up.

PURPOSE: The aim of the current study was to develop quantitative methods to assess optical aberrations caused by tear film disruption. METHODS: We used standard fluorescein imaging (FL) and a novel retroillumination (RI) method to image tear film disruption in 12 eyes. Using a clinical slit lamp biomicroscope, we alternated between widefield blue and narrow-beam white light to obtain an interleaved series of FL and RI images of the time course and pattern of tear film break-up. We developed an optical analysis that indicates that the RI image should be proportional to the spatial derivative of the FL image. Intensity fluctuations in the RI images are due to thickness changes in the tear film, whereas intensity fluctuations in FL images are directly determined by tear film thickness. RESULTS: As predicted by optical analysis of RI, the spatial distribution of gaps in the tear film seen with fluorescein appeared as pairs of light and dark contours in the RI images, and a precise correspondence between the spatial derivative of the FL image (slope) and the RI image was found. Both methods showed a gradual spreading of the tear disruption during blink suppression that varied tremendously among eyes in both time and spatial pattern. Resumption of normal blinking did not produce an immediate reconstitution of the normal tear film, and areas of tear break-up created during blink suppression remained abnormal for up to several minutes of normal blinking. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis indicates that both FL and RI have the potential to quantify optical changes occurring during tear break-up. These results support an interpretation of RI as an intensity-based method for mapping the highly irregular optical aberrations of the eye produced by tear film disruption.