Monochromatic aberrations of human eyes in the horizontal visual field.

We measured the monochromatic aberrations of five subjects' right eyes both temporally and nasally out to 40 degrees from fixation. We used a Hartmann-Shack sensor with modifications to equipment and software to enable off-axis measurements. Results were standardized for 6-mm pupils. There was considerable variation among subjects in the pattern of aberrations. Aberrations were generally greater in the nasal visual field than in the temporal visual field; in the case of third-order aberrations, this was true for all subjects. The contribution of third-order Zernike aberrations to the root-mean-square aberration increased up to four times from the center to the edge of the field, but the contribution of fourth- to sixth-order Zernike aberrations varied little across the visual field. Results were similar to those of a previous investigation using laser ray tracing and were of the order of those predicted by Navarro's finite schematic eye.