Effects of interactions among wave aberrations on optical image quality after refractive surgery

Research on wave aberrations indicates that interactions and balances among aberrations can provide better visual quality for normal eyes. In this paper, we investigate the aberration compensatory mechanism for eyes after LASIK surgery. Data of Zernike coefficients of wave-front aberrations are collected from 60 post-operative eyes through a Hartmann–Shack wave-front sensor, and then a series of Monte Carlo simulations are performed by manipulating the value of each Zernike coefficient (second order through seventh order). The modulation transfer function (MTF) ratio as a function of spatial frequency is used to evaluate the aberrations’ characteristic of independence. Finally, in a control condition, “synthetic” model eyes are produced through Monte Carlo arithmetic and the aberration independence of the synthetic eyes is analyzed. The results suggest that, for 6 and 3 mm pupil size, aberrations of the eyes after LASIK surgery are still not independent and the adaptive mechanism still exists. However, the adaptive mechanism does not hold for the “synthetic” eyes.