Measurement of the single-pass modulation transfer function and simulation of the retinal image of the human eye with a newly developed point spread function analysis system

We developed a new point spread function (PSF) analysis system (PSFAS) to study the optical system of the human eye. An infrared point light source is projected on the retina, then the single-pass modulation transfer function (MTF) is derived from the image of incoherent polarized reflection double-pass PSF measured by PSFAS: The retinal images and the contrast characteristics of various sized Landolt's rings then are simulated with the single-pass PSF calculated by the single-pass MTF. The visual acuity (VA) is predicted from the retinal images. The single-pass MTF and the contrast characteristics of aged subjects were clearly lower than those of a young subject in mid-frequency, though the cut-off frequency was similar in the two subjects. The predicted VA from the simulated retinal images agreed with the actual VA in normal subjects and in those with myopic astigmatism. This becomes a useful system for elucidating the optical characteristics of the human eye. In addition, the visual simulation obtained using this system is clinically useful for objectively evaluating visual function.