Simultaneous Myopic Defocus for Myopia Control: Effect on Accommodation, Peripheral Refraction and Retinal Image Quality in Non-Presbyopic Patients

Exposing the retina to a simultaneous myopic defocus is an optical method that has shown a promising effect in slowing the progression of myopia. Optical treatments applying a simultaneous defocus are available in the form of soft contact lenses or multifocal lenses originally designed to correct presbyopia. Orthokeratology is another optical method that slows down the progression of myopia. With orthokeratology, it is hypothesized that a change in peripheral refraction could slow the progression of myopia. We aimed to measure the accommodation response between monofocal and multifocal contact lenses in young subjects. Additionally, we performed a ray-tracing simulation to visualize the quality of the retinal image and the refractive status in the retinal periphery. The accommodation and pupil size measurements were performed on 29 participants aged 24.03 ± 2.73 years with a refractive error (spherical equivalent) of −1.78 ± 1.06 D. With the multifocal lens in situ, our participants showed less accommodation in comparison to the monofocal contact lens (mean difference, 0.576 ± 0.36 D, p > 0.001) when focusing on a near target at 40 cm. Pupil size became smaller in both contact lens groups during an accommodation of 0.29 ± 0.69 mm, p ≤ 0.001 and 0.39 ± 0.46 mm, p ≤ 0.001 for monofocal and multifocal contact lenses, respectively. The ray-tracing model showed a degradation for central and peripheral vision with the multifocal contact lens. The peripheral refraction was relatively myopic in both contact lens conditions up to 30°. Even if the accommodation ability is without fault, parts of simultaneous myopic defocus are used for the near task. The peripheral refraction in the ray-tracing model was not different between the two contact lenses. This is contrary to the proposed hypothesis that myopic peripheral refraction slows down the progression of myopia in current optical methods.

COMPARISON OF NORTH/SOUTH- AND EAST-WEST-FACING SOLAR COLLECTOR PAIRS WITH OR WITHOUT REFLECTORS

In this paper, the energy collection performance of north/south- and east-west-facing collector pairs, installed at optimized fixed and seasonally adjusted tilt angles, considering both portrait and landscape alignments, and setups with and without reflectors, were numerically compared with each other. For the purpose, a method based on hybrid ray-tracing model was employed, as developed in this work. A case study, considering an installation site in Auckland (New Zealand), is presented. For this, the fixed and seasonally adjusted optimum tilt angles for the layouts were first obtained. Then, the yearly energy collection for the layouts was evaluated at fixed tilt angles. An hourly analysis was also performed to understand the behavior of these layouts in the morning, and at noon and evening. Then, the effects of seasonal adjustments were investigated for each layout. Finally, the layouts were ranked according their performance. The north-facing landscape layout with reflectors showed the best performance, followed by its portrait alignment version. The east-west facing portrait layout with reflectors ranked third. The east-west facing layouts without reflectors were found to give the poorest performance.

Simulations of Decentration and Tilt of a Supplementary Sulcus-Fixated Intraocular Lens in a Polypseudophakic Combination Using Ray-Tracing Software

This study aimed to assess image quality after the tilt and decentration of supplementary intraocular lenses (IOLs) in a two-lens configuration. One was designed for sulcus fixation with a nominal power range of 1D–10D and was combined with a capsular fixation 20D IOL. The optical performance of a ray-tracing model was tested under IOL misalignment through the area under the modulation transfer function (MTFa) and wave aberrations. Tilting by 10° resulted in a 4% reduction of the MTFa for a 10D IOL as compared to 9% for the 20D lens. The two models demonstrated good tolerance to a 1 mm decentration; as for the 10D sulcus-fixated lens, the MTFa loss was 2%, and 4% for the capsular fixation lens. Coma and astigmatism increased three- and four-fold, respectively, after a 10° tilt compared to the aberration level induced by the 1 mm decentration. Both analyses showed a trend towards a lower MTF impact and fewer optical errors with decreasing nominal power. In conclusion, when misaligned, low-power sulcus-fixated IOLs might retain their good optical quality. An extreme tilt of 10° has a more detrimental effect on the IOL performance than a 1 mm decentration. The proper alignment of a high-power capsular fixation lens is important in achieving a desirable postoperative outcome.