A computational analysis of retinal image quality in eyes with keratoconus

• Published in: Scientific reports 2020-01, Vol.10 (1), p.1321-1321, Article 1321
• Main Authors: Nilagiri, Vinay Kumar, Metlapally, Sangeetha, Schor, Clifton M., Bharadwaj, Shrikant R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/308/2778; 692/308/575; Adolescent; Adult; Age; Computer applications; Contact lenses; Contrast Media; Eye; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Image Enhancement; Image processing; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - standards; Keratoconus; Keratoconus - diagnostic imaging; Keratoconus - pathology; Male; multidisciplinary; Retina; Retina - diagnostic imaging; Retina - pathology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Young Adult
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57993-w

Higher-order aberrations (HOA’s) are exaggerated in eyes with keratoconus but little is known about their impact on the retinal image quality (IQ) of these eyes. This computational study determined changes in IQ [peak IQ, best focus and depth of focus (DOF)] of 12 subjects with manifest keratoconus in both eyes (KCE cohort), 9 subjects with very asymmetric ectasia (VAE cohort) with and without their Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses (RGP CL’s) and 20 age-matched controls, using a HOA-based through-focus analysis performed on the logNS IQ metric over 5 mm pupil diameter following cycloplegia. All IQ parameters were significantly worse in the KCE cohort with their native HOA’s, relative to controls and in the ectatic eye of the VAE cohort, relative to the fellow non-ectatic eye (p ≤ 0.008 for all). Reduction in HOA’s of these eyes with RGP CL’s resulted in a significant improvement in all IQ parameters but they all remained significantly poorer than controls (p ≤ 0.02 for all). The inter-subject variability of best focus and the DOF range were inversely related to peak IQ in these eyes (r = 0.85; p