System and method for analyzing wavefront aberrations

Abstract

A system and method for specifying a vision correction prescription for a patient's eye, wherein in one embodiment, the method includes obtaining a wavefront aberration measurement of the patient's eye, applying at least one value from the wavefront aberration measurement to a statistical model trained using a plurality of objectively measured aberration values and a plurality subjectively measured visual acuity values as training data; and predicting a vision correction prescription for the patient's eye based on the at least one value and the statistical model.

1 . A method for specifying a vision correction prescription for a patient's eye, comprising: 
 obtaining a wavefront aberration measurement of a patient's eye;    applying at least one value derived from the wavefront aberration measurement to a statistical model trained to analyze the at least one value; and    predicting a vision correction prescription for the patient's eye based at least in part on the analysis of the at least one value by the statistical model.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the statistical model is trained using a plurality of objectively measured aberration values and a plurality subjectively measured visual acuity values as training data.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the statistical model is further trained using patient personal profile data.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the patient personal profile data comprises at least one data parameter selected from a group of data parameters consisting of: patient age, patient preferences, patient prescription history and side effects reported by a patient.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the plurality of subjectively measured visual acuity values comprises best corrected visual acuity measurements from a plurality of patients whose eyes have been measured to also provide the plurality of objectively measured aberration values.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the measured wavefront aberration may be expressed with Zernike polynomials of the third order or higher.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the statistical model comprises a neural network.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the predicted visual correction prescription comprises spherical, cylindrical and axis parameters associated with a standard prescription.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising using the predicted vision correction prescription to corroborate a subjectively measured prescription.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the predicted vision correction prescription further prescribes adjusting at least one high order aberration associated with the patient's eye.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the step of adjusting comprises reducing or increasing the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the step of adjusting comprises introducing the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  further comprising providing a graphic illustration of the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the graphic illustration comprises a color-coded table depicting a relative importance of the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the at least one high order aberration comprises one or more high order aberrations selected from a group consisting of: spherical aberration, coma, trefoil, tetrafoil and astigmatic tetrafoil.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the statistical model is customized for a particular category of eye types.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the wavefront aberration measurement provides one or more measurements of high order aberrations selected from a group consisting of: spherical aberration, coma, trefoil, tetrafoil and astigmatic tetrafoil.  
     
     
         18 . A method of predicting a difference in visual acuity resulting from high order correction versus standard correction of a patient's eyes, the method comprising: 
 obtaining a wavefront aberration measurement of a patient's eye;    inputting at least one value derived from the wavefront aberration measurement into a statistical model trained to analyze the at least one value; and    predicting a difference in visual acuity resulting from high order correction versus standard correction of the patient's eye, based on the at least one value and the statistical model.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the statistical model is trained using a plurality of objectively measured aberration values and a plurality of difference values indicative of differences between visual acuity of patients having high order aberration corrected vision and visual acuity of the same respective patients having standard corrected vision.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the statistical model is further trained using patient personal profile data.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein the patient personal profile data comprises at least one data parameter selected from a group of data parameters consisting of: patient age, patient preferences, patient prescription history and side effects reported by a patient.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising illustrating the difference visually.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the step of illustrating comprises providing a first image of a Snellen chart indicative of standard corrected vision for the patient and a second image of a Snellen chart indicative of high order aberration corrected vision for the patient.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the statistical model is capable of predicting which measured high order aberrations of the patient's eye are beneficial, detrimental or neutral.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24  further comprising providing a vision correction prescription, wherein the vision correction prescription prescribes adjusting at least one high order aberration measured for the patient's eye based on whether the at least one aberration is predicted to be beneficial, detrimental or neutral.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the step of adjusting comprises reducing or increasing at least one high order aberration predicted to be detrimental or beneficial, respectively.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the step of adjusting comprises introducing at least one high order aberration predicted to be beneficial  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25  further comprising providing a graphic illustration of the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the graphic illustration comprises a color-coded table depicting whether the at least one high order aberration is beneficial, detrimental or neutral.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the at least one high order aberration comprises one or more high order aberrations selected from a group consisting of: spherical aberration, coma, trefoil, tetrafoil and astigmatic tetrafoil.  
     
     
         31 . A method of creating a statistical model for use in predicting vision correction prescriptions for patients, the method comprising: 
 obtaining a plurality of wavefront aberration measurements from a plurality of patient's eyes;    obtaining a plurality of visual acuity measurements from the plurality of patients;    applying values associated with the plurality of wavefront measurements to an input layer of a statistical model;    applying values associated with the plurality of visual acuity measurements to an output layer of the statistical model; and    generating a plurality of weight values associated with respective nodes of the statistical model based on the applied values associated with the plurality of wavefront measurements and corresponding values associated with the plurality of visual acuity measurements.    
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the plurality of wavefront aberration measurements comprises measurements of one or more high order aberrations selected from a group consisting of: spherical aberration, coma, trefoil, tetrafoil and astigmatic tetrafoil.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the statistical model is created from training data received from a plurality of patients having a common eye type.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the statistical model comprises a neural network.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 31  wherein the values associated with the plurality of visual acuity measurements comprises a plurality of difference values indicative of differences between visual acuity of patients having high order aberration corrected vision and visual acuity of the same respective patients having standard corrected vision.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  wherein the statistical model is capable of predicting which measured high order aberrations of the patient's eye are beneficial, detrimental or neutral.  
     
     
         37 . A data structure created using the method of  claim 31 .  
     
     
         38 . A computer readable medium that stores computer executable code, which when executed performs a method for specifying a vision correction prescription for a patient's eye, the method comprising: 
 obtaining a wavefront aberration measurement of a patient's eye;    applying at least one value from the wavefront aberration measurement to a statistical model trained to analyze the at least one value; and    predicting a vision correction prescription for the patient's eye based on the at least one value and the statistical model.    
     
     
         39 . The computer readable medium of  claim 38  wherein the statistical model is trained using a plurality of objectively measured aberration values and a plurality subjectively measured visual acuity values as training data.  
     
     
         40 . The computer readable medium of  claim 39  wherein the statistical model is trained using a plurality of objectively measured aberration values and a plurality of difference values indicative of differences between visual acuity of patients having high order aberration corrected vision and visual acuity of the same respective patients having standard corrected vision.  
     
     
         41 . The computer readable medium of  claim 40  wherein the method further comprises predicting a difference in visual acuity resulting from high order correction versus standard correction of a patient's eyes, based on the at least one value and the statistical model.  
     
     
         42 . A system for specifying a vision correction prescription for a patient's eye, comprising: 
 means for obtaining a wavefront aberration measurement of a patient's eye;    means for analyzing at least one value derived from the wavefront aberration measurement to predict a vision correction prescription for the patient's eye based at least in part on the at least one value.    
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 42  wherein the means for analyzing comprises a statistical model.  
     
     
         44 . The system of  claim 43  wherein the statistical model comprises a neural network.  
     
     
         45 . The system of  claim 42  wherein the measured wavefront aberration may be expressed with Zernike polynomials of the third order or higher.  
     
     
         46 . The system of  claim 42  wherein the predicted visual correction prescription comprises spherical, cylindrical and axis parameters associated with a standard prescription.  
     
     
         47 . The system of  claim 46  wherein the predicted vision correction prescription further prescribes adjusting at least one high order aberration associated with the patient's eye.  
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 47  wherein adjusting comprises minimizing the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 47  wherein adjusting comprises increasing the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         50 . The system of  claim 47  wherein adjusting comprises introducing the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         51 . The system of  claim 42  further comprising means for providing a graphic illustration of the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         52 . The system of  claim 51  wherein the graphic illustration comprises a color-coded table depicting a relative importance of the at least one high order aberration.  
     
     
         53 . The system of  claim 42  wherein the means for analyzing comprises a statistical model capable of predicting whether a measured high order aberration of the patient's eye is beneficial, detrimental or neutral.  
     
     
         54 . A spectacle lens constructed in accordance with the predicted vision correction prescription obtained using the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         55 . A contact lens constructed in accordance with the predicted vision correction prescription obtained using the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         56 . An intraocular lens constructed in accordance with the predicted vision correction prescription obtained using the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         57 . A method of correcting a patient's vision comprising performing a surgical procedure on the patient's eye in accordance with the predicted vision correction prescription obtained using the method of  claim 1.