Dynamic eye model for adaptive optics testing.

An artificial dynamic eye model is proposed. The prototype enabled us to introduce temporal variations in defocus and spherical aberration, resembling those typically found in the human eye. The eye model consisted of a meniscus lens together with a modal liquid crystal lens with controllable focus. A diffuser placed at a fixed distance from the lenses acted as the artificial retina. Developed software allowed the user to precisely control the dynamic generation of aberrations. In addition, different refractive errors could simultaneously be emulated by varying the distance between the components of the model. The artificial eye was first used as a dynamic generator of both spherical aberration and defocus, imitating the behavior of a real eye. The artificial eye was implemented in an adaptive optics system designed for the human eye. The system incorporated an electrostatic deformable mirror and a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor. Results with and without real time closed-loop aberration correction were obtained. The use of the dynamic artificial eye could be quite useful for testing and evaluating adaptive optics instruments for ophthalmic applications.