Purpose: Peripheral image quality is of high relevance to myopia research, yet peripheral refraction is difficult to define due to aberrations affecting the depth-of-focus. This study investigated the peripheral image quality (±25° horizontal field) using three different image quality metrics, with added sphero-cylindrical wavefronts to find the best correction.

Methods: Nineteen adults (9 myopes, 10 emmetropes) and 33 children (5 myopes, 28 non-myopes) were measured using a dual-angle wavefront aberrometer as part of the Stockholm Myopia Study. The optical image quality was calculated from the wavefronts, for 10,000 different sphero-cylindrical corrections around the 2nd-order Zernike refraction, to find the best correction as well as the range of corrections with similar image quality (“depth-of-refraction”).

Results: Overall, the peripheral best focus was not distinct, with a large depth-of-refraction. Emmetropes/non-myopes had larger peripheral depth-of-refraction than myopes (mean values of 2.69 and 1.74 D, respectively (Strehl ratio metric)). For some subjects, this span of corrections was of a multifocal character. The prevalence of multifocality depended on the image quality metric but was generally more common in emmetropes/non-myopes than in myopes.

Conclusions: The peripheral visual field does not always have a clear best focus and can show multifocal properties in some individuals, with different corrections yielding similar image quality. As emmetropes/non-myopes had more multifocality and larger depth-of-refraction than myopes, this indicates that inherent peripheral optical properties can play a role in myopia development.

This study investigates relative peripheral refraction (RPR) in emmetropic and myopic eyes in the 25° nasal and temporal visual fields under far and near fixation, with control for any fluctuations in accommodation. Additional analysis of axial length and comparison with recently published eye models are also presented, constituting complementary adult data to the Stockholm Myopia Study. In the ten emmetropes, a pronounced nasal-temporal asymmetry was observed, with significantly more myopic RPR nasally and less myopic / more hyperopic RPR temporally at both accommodative states (p = 0.005). The nine myopes, in contrast, exhibited more symmetric peripheral profiles, with no significant nasal–temporal differences. Accommodation induced systematic shifts in both groups, producing increased relative myopia nasally and relative hyperopia temporally (p < 0.001). Axial length was significantly correlated with temporal hyperopic shifts during accommodation in myopes (p = 0.005), suggesting a structural contribution of ocular growth to peripheral optics. Comparison with eye models showed partial agreement, though experimental results revealed greater asymmetry than predicted in emmetropes and a weaker nasal–temporal distinction in myopes. Our findings indicate that variations in relative peripheral refraction over the horizontal visual field and with accommodation might be linked to ocular growth and are important for optical myopia control.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common ocular condition leading to reduced central visual function and increased dependency on the peripheral field of view for all visual tasks. This study aims to assess the effect of optical errors on peripheral vision in dry form AMD.

Methods: High contrast resolution acuity and contrast sensitivity were measured in the 20° nasal visual field of fourteen subjects with advanced or early dry AMD. The measurements were performed through an adaptive optics vision simulator to simulate average phakic as well as pseudophakic peripheral optical errors.

Results: Overall, inducing population average phakic optical errors resulted in better peripheral visual function than average pseudophakic optical errors for all measured subjects, both in high contrast resolution acuity and contrast sensitivity. Specifically, the mean differences between phakic and pseudophakic conditions were 0.16 logMAR in resolution acuity and 0.43 in logarithmic contrast sensitivity. These changes are larger than the results of studies on younger subjects with healthy vision.

Conclusion: The study thereby concludes that reducing peripheral optical errors can improve peripheral vision, although further work is needed to determine how this translates to everyday visual performance. Interestingly, the improvement appears to be larger for AMD patients compared to healthy eyes.

Cataract surgery, a transformative procedure to restore vision, has seen remarkable advancements in intraocular lens (IOL) technologies. This special issue presents a collection of research that explores the performance, design, and evaluation of IOLs. From established designs and the impact of key optical parameters to innovative approaches and preoperative simulations, these contributions offer a comprehensive view of current trends and future directions in IOL development. The special issue also honors the legacy of Prof. Jim Schwiegerling whose contributions to visual optics in general, and IOLs in particular, have had a tremendous impact in the field, both in the academic, clinical and industrial communities.

This study compares image quality on the peripheral retina for far and near vision in schoolchildren. Biometric data and simultaneous foveal and peripheral (±25^◦ horizontal field) wavefront data for two levels of accommodation (0.22 D and 5 D) were collected from 31 children aged 6 to 11 years. Relative peripheral refraction (RPR) was found to be larger and more negative in the nasal visual field than in the temporal. This difference increased with accommodation. Furthermore, correlations between image quality and biometric parameters were investigated. The results highlight the importance of peripheral image quality during near work for myopia research. The data presented also form the baseline measurements of the Stockholm Myopia Study, which is a longitudinal pilot study on ocular growth and peripheral image quality in schoolchildren in Stockholm, Sweden.

The field of visual and physiological optics is undergoing continuous significant advancements, driven by a deeper understanding of the human visual system and the development of cutting-edge optical technologies. This Roadmap, authored by leading experts, delves into critical areas such as corneal biomechanical properties, keratoconus, and advancements in corneal imaging and elastography. It explores the intricate structure-function relationship within the eye lens, offering new perspectives through lens models and ray tracing techniques. The document also covers advancements in retinal imaging, highlighting the current state and future directions, and the role of adaptive optics in evaluating retinal structure and function in both healthy and diseased eyes. Furthermore, it addresses the modeling of ocular surfaces using different mathematical functions and examines the factors affecting peripheral image quality in the human eye, emphasizing the importance of these aspects in visual performance. Additional topics include schematic and functional models of the human eye, the impact of optical and chromatic aberrations, and the design of contact, and intraocular lenses. Finally, the Roadmap addresses the intersection of neurosciences with vision health, presenting a comprehensive overview of current research and future trends aimed at improving visual health and optical performance. Ultimately, this Roadmap aims to serve as a valuable resource for ophthalmologists, optometrists, vision scientists, and engineers dedicated to advancing the field of visual and physiological optics.