Possible errors in determining axial length changes during accommodation with the IOLMaster.
OBJECTIVE
The Zeiss IOLMaster uses partial coherence interferometry to measure the optical path length within the eye. This is converted into the axial length. There are errors in measuring possible changes in axial length as a result of accommodation, because the instrument uses an average refractive index in the eye. We determined the likely extent of these errors.


METHODS
Errors were estimated using Gullstrand's no. 1 schematic eyes. One set of these had the shell structure of the eyes, and another set had the gradient index structure specified by Gullstrand.


RESULTS
Errors were 18 to 26 microm for an accommodation of 10.9 D.


CONCLUSIONS
The worth of the IOLMaster would be increased if it used an equation for conversion from optical length to geometrical length that took into account variations in lens thickness and if it were able to be modified to provide component distances and the axial length using partial coherence tomography.
Atchison
David A
DA
School of Optometry, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia. d.atchison@qut.edu.au
Smith
George
G
D000065:Accommodation, Ocular; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005123:Eye / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007368:Interferometry; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D009907:Optometry / Q000295:instrumentation*