Optical bench simulation for intraocular lenses using field-tracing technology

• Published in: PloS one 2021-12, Vol.16 (12), p.e0250543-e0250543
• Main Authors: Song, Seok Ho, Song, In Seok, Oh, Se Jin, Son, Hyeck-Soo, Kang, Min Ho
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aperture; Biology and Life Sciences; Complications and side effects; Computer and Information Sciences; Computer Simulation; Cornea; Diffraction; Engineering and Technology; Experiments; Eye; Geometrical optics; Humans; Image quality; Interference; Interference fringes; Intraocular lenses; Lenses, Intraocular; Light diffraction; Medicine and Health Sciences; Misalignment; Modulation transfer function; Ophthalmology; Optical benches; Optical communication; Optics; Patient outcomes; Performance evaluation; Photonics; Physical Sciences; Propagation; Prosthesis Design; Ray tracing; Research and Analysis Methods; Retina; Retinal images; Simulation; Strehl ratio; Surgery; Wave diffraction
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250543

To evaluate the image quality of intraocular lenses (IOLs) using field-tracing optical simulation and then compare it with the image quality using conventional ray-tracing simulation. We simulated aspheric IOLs with a decenter, tilt, and no misalignment using an aspheric corneal eye model with a positive spherical aberration. The retinal image, Strehl ratio, and modulation transfer function (MTF) were compared between the ray-tracing and field-tracing optical simulation and confirmed by the results reported in an in vitro experiment using the same eye model. The retinal image showed interference fringes from target due to diffraction from the object in a field-tracing simulation. When compared with the experimental results, the field tracing represented the experimental results more precisely than ray tracing after passing over 400 μm of the decentration and 4 degrees of the tilt of the IOLs. The MTF values showed similar results for the case of no IOL misalignment in both the field tracing and ray tracing. In the case of the 200-μm decentration or 8-degree tilt of IOL, the field-traced MTF shows lower values than the ray-traced one. The field-tracing optical bench simulation is a reliable method to evaluate IOL performance according to the IOL misalignment. It can provide retinal image quality close to real by taking into account the wave nature of light, interference and diffraction to explain to patients having the IOL misalignment.