Imaging Refractor: Wide Angle Vision Evaluation

ended

Human peripheral vision is important for noticing stimuli and moving the eye towards them if more detailed vision is needed, for orientation and for the detection of movement and, generally, for the awareness of our surroundings. It has been shown that increased refractive error in the periphery can lead to a significant decrease in the detection of a stimulus. This functional limitation of vision can have significant implications in safety and efficiency in daily tasks, such as walking or driving. Peripheral refraction is also thought to play an important role in the emmetropization process and is a candidate for the mechanism causing myopia. Until now, however, there has not been conclusive evidence to fully establish the relationship between peripheral defocus and astigmatism with myopia, partially due to the lack of a clinical instrument designed to measure peripheral refraction. Furthermore, peripheral image quality deteriorates significantly after cataract surgery due to the high peripheral refraction of the intraocular lens implants commonly used. The proposed project concerns the design, built and subsequent evaluation of an innovative optical instrument and a corresponding method for the in-vivo, quick and accurate measurement of the central and peripheral refraction of the human eye. The instrument will have the potential to become a very valuable tool in ophthalmology, and specifically in the study of children myopia, but also in cataract surgery. The project will be carried out at the Athens Eye Hospital (AEH) and includes two three-month secondments, at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden and at King’s College London, UK.