Purpose: To evaluate the optical image quality, using 2 optical devices (an aberrometer and a double-pass device), and visual performance [contrast sensitivity function (CSF)] in patients with keratitis and after resolution of the disease.
Methods: Twenty subjects with keratitis (18 patients with unilateral keratitis and 2 patients with bilateral keratitis) were included in this study. We also took measurements in healthy fellow eyes for comparison. Ten patients were studied before and after the resolution of keratitis. Objective data were gathered by aberrometry (ocular higher order, spherical, and coma aberrations) and the Strehl ratio, a parameter derived from the double-pass device that included information on diffraction, ocular aberrations, and scattering. The CSF was also measured for all the patients.
Results: Ocular higher order, spherical, and coma aberrations in keratitis eyes were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those in healthy fellow eyes. The Strehl ratio indicates a worse optical quality for keratitis eyes being significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the Strehl ratio for healthy fellow eyes. CSF for keratitis eyes was also significantly lower than that for the healthy eyes (P < 0.05). Data for keratitis eyes after the resolution of the disease showed a significant increase in the optical function and visual performance but, after treatment, continued to suffer significant (P < 0.05) impairment in the optical quality of the affected eyes compared with the healthy fellow eyes.
Conclusions: Devices to measure optical image quality and the CSF enable the characterization of the optical quality and visual performance in patients with keratitis, showing a significant decline in optical quality and visual performance during keratitis and an improvement after the resolution of the pathology.