Purpose: We evaluated the correlation of Alcon LADARWave wavefront measurements with clinical refraction and corneal topography.
Methods: In a retrospective, non-comparative case series, 60 eyes (30 patients) of healthy individuals evaluated by preoperative examination for refractive surgery were enrolled (manifest sphere, -11.00 to +4.50 D; manifest cylinder, 0 to -4.75 D; 45 eyes were myopic, 12 eyes were hyperopic, and 3 had mixed astigmatism). Correlation of manifest refraction, cycloplegic refraction, and topographic data with wavefront refraction and higher order aberration was assessed. Match percentage given by the wavefront was analyzed. This number represents how much of the wavefront refraction is due to sphere and cylinder (high percentage match) or is influenced by higher order aberration (low percentage match), in which case aberrometer refraction will not be close to phoropter refraction. Pearson's correlation coefficient was assessed for two continuous variables, adjusting for repeated measurements.
Results: The median match percentage was 91%. Mean values for all higher order aberration components in a 7.0-mm pupil were: coma = 0.35 +/- 0.29 microm, spherical aberrations = 0.36 +/- 0.31 microm, and other terms of higher order aberrations = 0.31 +/- 0.14 microm. Wavefront sphere, cylinder, and axis terms were highly correlated to manifest and cycloplegic measurements. The high match subgroup had a higher correlation coefficient than the low match subgroup for refraction. Topographic cylinder and axis were not strongly correlated to wavefront refraction, but manifest axis was significantly correlated to topographic axis.
Conclusion: In 60 normal eyes, the Alcon LADARWave wavefront measurement was highly correlated with refraction, but less well with corneal topography.