Introduction: Aging has various effects on visual system. Vision deteriorate, contrast sensitivity decreases and ocular aberrations apparently make the optical quality worse across the years.
Purpose: To prospective evaluate ocular aberrations along the ages.
Methods: Three hundred and fifteen patients were examined, 155 were male (39.36%) and 160 were female (60.63%). Ages ranged from 5 to 64 year-old, the study was performed from February to November, 2004. Patients were divided into 4 age-groups according to IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) classification: 68 patients from 5 to 14 year-old, 55 patients from 15 to 24 year-old, 116 from 25 to 44 year-old and 76 from 45 to 67 year-old. All patients had the following characteristics: best corrected visual acuity > 20/25, emmetropia or spherical equivalent < 3.50 SD, refractive astigmatism < 1.75 CD on cycloplegic refraction, normal ophthalmologic exam and no previous ocular surgeries. This protocol was approved by Federal University of São Paulo Institutional Review Board. Total optical aberrations were measured by H-S sensor LadarWave Custom Cornea Wavefront System (Alcon Laboratories Inc, Orlando, FLA, USA) and were statistically analysed. Corneal aberrations were calculated using CT-View software Version 6.89 (Sarver and Associates, Celebration, FL, USA). Lens aberrations were calculated by subtraction.
Results: High-order (0.32 e 0.48 microm) and ocular spherical aberrations (0.02 e 0.26 microm) increased respectively in child and middle age groups. High order (0.27 microm) and corneal spherical aberrations (0.05 microm) did not show changes with age. Lens showed a statistically significant spherical aberration increase (from -0.02 to 0.22 microm). Vertical (from 0.10 to -0.07 microm) and horizontal coma (from 0.01 to -0.12 microm) presented progressively negative values with aging.
Conclusion: High-order and spherical aberrations increased with age due to lens contribution. The cornea did not affect significantly changes observed on ocular aberrations.