Myopia and peripheral ocular aberrations

We measured wave aberrations over the central 42 degrees x 32 degrees visual field for a 5-mm pupil for groups of 10 emmetropic (mean spherical equivalent = 0.11 +/- 0.50 D) and 9 myopic (MSE = -3.67 +/- 1.91 D) young adults. Relative peripheral refractive errors over the measured field were generally myopic in both groups. Mean values of C(4)(0) were almost constant across the measured field and were more positive in emmetropes (+0.023 +/- 0.043 microm) than in myopes (-0.007 +/- 0.045 microm). Coma varied more rapidly with field angle in myopes: modeling suggested that this difference reflected the differences in mean anterior corneal shape and axial length in the two groups. In general, however, overall levels of RMS aberration differed only modestly between the two groups, implying that it is unlikely that high levels of aberration contribute to myopia development.