title: Higher-order wavefront aberrations in retinitis pigmentosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to characterize higher-order wavefront aberrations associated with posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataracts in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Wavefront aberrations were measured by Shack-Hartmann (SH) aberrometry in eight patients with RP who had PSC cataracts, 10 patients with RP who had minimal or no PSC cataracts, and 16 age-equivalent visually normal control subjects. Higher-order wavefront aberrations for 3-mm and 6-mm pupil diameters were defined as the root mean square (RMS) of the wavefront aberration functions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For a 6-mm pupil diameter, the mean RMS for total higher-order wavefront aberrations was significantly larger for the patients with RP than for the control subjects, both for patients with PSC cataract (F = 17.30, p < 0.001) and for those with minimal or no PSC cataract (F = 4.80, p < 0.05). The mean RMS for third-order aberrations was not significantly different for patients with RP than for the control subjects. However, the mean RMS for fourth-order aberrations was significantly larger for the patients with RP than for the control subjects, both for patients with PSC cataract (F = 8.85, p < 0.01) and those with minimal or no PSC cataract (F = 5.07, p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in higher-order aberrations between the patients with RP and the control subjects for a 3-mm pupil diameter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased higher-order wavefront aberrations were present in patients with RP with and without clinically observable PSC cataracts. The measurement of wavefront aberrations in patients with RP provides an objective and quantitative method for detecting and monitoring disease-related changes in the optics of the eye.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Aruna S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rajagopalan
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shahidi
authors.forename: Kenneth R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Gerald A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zelkha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014792:Visual Acuity