Ablation design in relation to spatial frequency, depth-of-focus, and age.

PURPOSE: To consider factors relevant to the design of wavefront-aberration-based customized ablations.

METHODS

Review.

RESULTS

Ablations that seek to eliminate all wavefront aberrations, both second- and higher-order, may not be optimal for all patients. This is particularly the case for presbyopes. Their main requirement will normally be for extended binocular depth-of-focus to yield adequate distance and near vision with good retinal contrast at lower spatial frequencies, rather than the highest levels of acuity and modulation transfer function at a single distance. For many presbyopes, this can be achieved by aiming for monovision correction or low myopic astigmatism, with reasonable but not necessarily complete correction of higher-order aberrations. This compromise allows a range of everyday tasks to be carried out, including face recognition and reading.

CONCLUSION

The targeted correction of wavefront aberration should take into account the visual needs and preferences of the individual patient.