Purkinje images for optical assessment of lenticular surfaces

Abstract

The optical properties of Fresnel reflections from the human ocular surfaces, called Purkinje reflections, are examined. Extensive modeling of the behavior of the reflection of sources from the front of the cornea and the front of the crystalline lens with real rays in lens design software is presented. The modeling looks at the effects of various conic constant values on the ocular surfaces and rotation of the eye in particular. First and third Purkinje images were collected from 14 subjects for varying fixation positions to compare with modeling. The results showed a decrease in third Purkinje image height as the eye rotated from gazing at a point near the light sources to a point near the optical axis of the imaging camera. This matched the predictions from modeling and indicates that fixation position is an important factor in the accuracy and repeatability of comparison phakometry results. Schematic eye models were set up for each subject and the anterior lens radius of curvature and conic constant were optimized to match the collected Purkinje image height data. The mean conic constant estimate from optimization was -3.82 with a standard deviation of 1.51. The schematic eye models did not include crystalline lens tilt or individual corneal conic constant values, each of which is estimated to contribute an uncertainty of ± 0.5 in the anterior lens conic constant value. This is the first use of Purkinje images to assess anterior lens conic constant values.