Objective: To analyze the effects of single mode's high-order aberration on visual acuity in real time dynamically corrected using adaptive optics technique.
Methods: Control study. In a dark room, twelve young healthy volunteers were administrated with 5 g/L phenylephrine to fully dilate the right eye's pupil to a diameter over 6 mm. The subjects' myopia and astigmatism were fully corrected using optical lenses. Coma, trefoil, spherical aberration and other forth-order aberrations except for spherical aberration were corrected using adaptive optics, and 100% contrast visual acuity was simultaneously measured.
Results: All single mode's high-order aberrations were fully corrected, whereas other aberrations remained unchanged. Mean visual acuity of subjects was improved by 0.021 LogMAR, 0.017 LogMAR, 0.022 LogMAR and 0.025 LogMAR after correction of coma, trefoil, spherical aberration and other forth-order aberrations except for spherical aberration, respectively. Ratio of change in visual acuity was (-0.40 ± 1.22) LogMAR/µm, (-0.20 ± 0.61) LogMAR/µm, (-0.80 ± 1.44) LogMAR/µm and (-0.30 ± 0.57) LogMAR/µm, respectively. There was a linear correlation between visual acuity after correction of single mode's different high-order aberrations and RMS of residual aberrations (R(2) = 0.13, P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Among high-order aberrations in normal human eye, spherical aberration generates a most impact on visual acuity, followed by coma, other forth-order aberrations except for spherical aberration and trefoil. A linear correlation was found between change in visual acuity and RMS of residual aberrations.