Previous studies have shown that the visual system appears naturally adapted to the blur imposed by the ocular optics. Also, shifts in the best-perceived-focus (after-effects) occur after blur adaptation. We explored the potential differences in the natural states of blur adaptation between the eyes of 5 subjects with interocular differences in optical degradation (Ocular Strehl Ratio, OSR). The perceived-best-focus was measured in both eyes using a QUEST protocol, after adapting to images with different blur levels, spanning those of the subject’s eyes. Test and adapting images were face images convolved with scaled versions of the subjects' ocular aberrations. After-effects were estimated as the shifts in perceived-best-focus following adaptation to a blurred image, compared to adaptation to a gray-field. Irrespective of the eye tested, perceived-bestfocus matched the natural blur of the better eye. Moreover, no after-effects were observed when the eyes were adapted to the better eye OSR and marked after-effects when adapted to the worse eye OSR. Our results indicate that in eyes with interocular optical blur differences, the perceived-best-focus is unique, and is driven by the eye with better optical quality.

1st World Meeting in Visual and Physiological Optics, Wroclaw, Poland, August 25-27 2014

Peer Reviewed