Frequency-specific activation of the peripheral auditory system using optoacoustic laser stimulation.

Hearing impairment is one of the most common sensory deficits in humans. Hearing aids are helpful to patients but can have poor sound quality or transmission due to insufficient output or acoustic feedback, such as for high frequencies. Implantable devices partially overcome these issues but require surgery with limited locations for device attachment. Here, we investigate a new optoacoustic approach to vibrate the hearing organ with laser stimulation to improve frequency bandwidth, not requiring attachment to specific vibratory structures, and potentially reduce acoustic feedback. We developed a laser pulse modulation strategy and simulated its response at the umbo (1-10 kHz) based on a convolution-based model. We achieved frequency-specific activation in which non-contact laser stimulation of the umbo, as well as within the middle ear at the round window and otic capsule, induced precise shifts in the maximal vibratory response of the umbo and neural activation within the inferior colliculus of guinea pigs, corresponding to the targeted, modelled and then stimulated frequency. There was also no acoustic feedback detected from laser stimulation with our experimental setup. These findings open up the potential for using a convolution-based optoacoustic approach as a new type of laser hearing aid or middle ear implant.

Parametric fitting of corneal height data to a biconic surface.

As the average corneal shape can effectively be approximated by a conic section, a determination of the corneal shape by biconic parameters is desired. The purpose of the paper is to introduce a straightforward mathematical approach for extracting clinically relevant parameters of corneal surface, such as radii of curvature and conic constants for principle meridians and astigmatism. A general description for modeling the ocular surfaces in a biconic form is given, based on which an implicit parametric surface fitting algorithm is introduced. The solution of the biconic fitting is obtained by a two sequential least squares optimization approach with constrains. The data input can be raw information from any corneal topographer with not necessarily a uniform data distribution. Various simulated and clinical data are studied including surfaces with rotationally symmetric and non-symmetric geometries. The clinical data was obtained from the Pentacam (Oculus) for the patient having undergone a refractive surgery. A sub-micrometer fitting accuracy was obtained for all simulated surfaces: 0,08 µm RMS fitting error at max for rotationally symmetric and 0,125 µm for non-symmetric surfaces. The astigmatism was recovered in a sub-minutes resolution. The equality in rotational symmetric and the superiority in non-symmetric surfaces of the presented model over the widely used quadric fitting model is shown. The introduced biconic surface fitting algorithm is able to recover the apical radii of curvature and conic constants in principle meridians. This methodology could be a platform for advanced IOL calculations and enhanced contact lens fitting.

Theoretical image performance with customized aspheric and spherical IOLs - when do we get a benefit from customized aspheric design?

BACKGROUND & PURPOSE: Implantation of an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) during cataract surgery significantly changes the balance of aberrations in the eye. We demonstrate the theoretical superiority of customized aspheric IOL designs over standard spherical IOLs for different values of corneal curvature, asphericity and axial length. METHODS: For a selected set of corneal surfaces we calculated a best-fit equiconvex spherical IOL. In a second step we customized the IOL back surface to correct the wavefront aberrations of the cornea. Then we calculated a quadric approximation of the IOL back surface to retrieve the aspheric parameters of the customized lens in terms of radius of curvature and asphericity/conic constant. The optical performance of the three IOL models was monitored in terms of lateral ray spread (LRS) at retinal plane for variations of corneal curvatures, asphericity and axial lengths of the pseudophakic eye. RESULTS: The LRS of customized aspheric IOLs was significantly smaller compared to that of spherical IOLs (typically between 10 and 25 dB). For high aspheric coefficients the LRS increased with spherical IOLs. With aspheric IOLs LRS was higher for steep corneas paired with high aspheric coefficients, mostly due to the fitting error of the quadratic function. For several combinations of corneal curvature and aspheric coefficients the focal point of the aspheric IOL was up to 400 times smaller than the spherical one. CONCLUSION: This study appeals to the reader for the potential benefit of customized aspheric IOL design instead of the principle of a 'one size fits all' aspheric coefficient as used currently in clinical practice. A benefit with customized IOLs is less depending from the axial length and can be achieved with corneas of a moderate prolate aspheric shape with an equal or more negative Q value than the average of -0.22. Longer eyes seem to benefit less than short eyes.

Inspection of freeform intraocular lens topography by phase measuring deflectometric methods.

Manufacturing spherical, aspheric, and freeform surfaces requires testing throughout the development and production process. State-of-the-art topography measurement is limited in applicability for intraocular lenses (IOLs), and there is no dedicated commercial surface measurement system available for freeform IOLs. The purpose of this work was to validate a deflectometric setup for surface measurement, detection of defects, and shape fidelity analysis for the development and production of IOLs. The setup is based on a phase measuring deflectometer with a field-of-view of 80 mm×80 mm and a mean repetition accuracy of 1.6·10(-3) D. The technique is suitable for detection of global and local surface errors, extracted from geometry and topography analysis. For validation according to DIN ISO 5725:2002, spherical IOLs with radii of curvature of 10 and 20 mm, a commercial aspheric IOL, and single-sided freeform IOL samples were used.

Individual IOL surface topography analysis by the WaveMaster Reflex UV.

PURPOSE: In order to establish inspection routines for individual intraocular lenses (IOLs), their surfaces have to be measured separately. Currently available measurement devices lack this functionality. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new topography measurement device based on wavefront analysis for measuring individual regular and freeform IOL surfaces, the "WaveMaster Reflex UV" (Trioptics, Wedel, Germany). METHODS: Measurements were performed on IOLs with increasingly complex surface geometries: spherical surfaces, surfaces modelled by higher-order Zernike terms, and freeform surfaces from biometrical patient data. Two independent parameters were measured: the sample's radius of curvature (ROC) and its residual (difference of sample topography and its best-fit sphere). We used a quantitative analysis method by calculating the residuals' root-mean-square (RMS) and peak-to-Valley (P2V) values. RESULTS: The sample's best-fit ROC differences increased with the sample's complexity. The sample's differences of RMS values were 80 nm for spherical surfaces, 97 nm for higher-order samples, and 21 nm for freeform surfaces. Graphical representations of both measurement and design topographies were recorded and compared. CONCLUSION: The measurements of spherical surfaces expectedly resulted in better values than those of freeform surfaces. Overall, the wavefront analysing method proves to be an effective method for evaluating individual IOL surfaces.

Evaluation of free-form IOL topographies by clinically available topographers.

PURPOSE: No commercially available device for measuring individual IOL surface topographies exists on the market. The purpose of this paper is to show the applicability of clinically available corneal topographers for measuring individual IOLs consisting of a spherical surface on one side and a freeform surface on the other side. METHODS: Three measurement principles (Placido rings: Tomey TMS-2N, Scheimpflug: Oculus Pentacam, optical coherence tomography: Tomey CASIA) are applied in determining the IOLs' surface and compared against the design data used for producing the surfaces. Spherical and freeform IOLs are measured and analysed in both radius of curvature (ROC) and higher-order residual parameters by analysing the residuals. RESULTS: Repeatability and reproducibility measurements show a sub-µm precision for the TMS-2N system, while the Pentacam's values are located around 10µm and the CASIA system's values gather around 20µm. The TMS-2N system works best at detecting a sample's ROC and residual properties within the range of 8mm to 13.5mm mean ROC. In this range, the deviations from the theoretical ROC are about 45µm. The Pentacam doesn't have this limitation, but faces problems with exporting measurements of freeform surfaces. In some circumstances the program crashes and prevents the export. If being able to export the Pentacam measurements show an average deviation of 100µm from the theoretical ROC value. The CASIA system shows high amounts of noise which makes it not applicable in this field, having deviations of several 100µm from the theoretical ROC value. Residual comparison for the higher-order samples shows sub-µm precision for the TMS-2N, about 1µm precision for the Pentacam and several µm for the CASIA system. The values for the customized samples are slightly increased, several µm for the TMS-2N, up to 30µm for the Pentacam system and around 75µm for the CASIA system. CONCLUSION: The TMS-2N system is an appropriate device for measuring individual IOL surface topographies for ROCs between 8mm to 13.5mm. The Pentacam and CASIA induced relatively high level of variation and noise. Future application of the TMS-2N in this field will reveal its long-term statistics.