Although the average accuracy of autorefractors is very good, they still cannot be reliably used to write eyeglass prescriptions because about 20 percent of patients will be measured differently by subjective refraction by at least 0.5 diopters. Further, the patients that are measured differently have the same error on autorefractors made by many different manufacturers. This indicates that there is some structural difference in those eyes. We hypothesize that the significant structural difference is that the spacing between the photoreceptors to the choroid blood supply is different in those patients relative to the general population. We propose a method to measure the photoreceptor to choroid spacing and a method to use that parameter to improve the calculated spherical equivalent power on those patients. Means are also provided to test the hypothesis that the Stiles Crawford effect is responsible for the difference in autorefractions versus subjective refractions. Expected benefits of this research include improved and earlier detection of various retinal pathologies, potential benefits for diabetic patients and others. Medical practice is anticipated to benefit through advancements in automated refraction techniques.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR) - Phase I (R43)
Project #
1R43EY014295-01
Application #
6550183
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-SSS-R (11))
Program Officer
Mariani, Andrew P
Project Start
2002-09-30
Project End
2004-03-29
Budget Start
2002-09-30
Budget End
2004-03-29
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$123,870
Indirect Cost
Name
Wavefront Sciences, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
967338278
City
Albuquerque
State
NM
Country
United States
Zip Code
87123
Teel, Danielle F W; Jacobs, Robert J; Copland, James et al. (2014) Differences between wavefront and subjective refraction for infrared light. Optom Vis Sci 91:1158-66
Teel, Danielle F W; Copland, R James; Jacobs, Robert J et al. (2008) Design and validation of an infrared Badal optometer for laser speckle. Optom Vis Sci 85:834-42