Defining metrics of visual acuity from theoretical models of observers

Charles-Edouard Leroux (1) , Conor Leahy (2) , Justine Dupuis (1) , Christophe Fontvieille (1) , Fabrice Bardin (1)

1 MIPA - Mathématiques, Informatique, Physique, et Applications / Université de Nîmes
2 Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc, Dublin, California, United States

Many experimental studies show that metrics of visual image quality can predict changes in visual acuity due to optical aberrations. Here we use statistical decision theory and Fourier optics formalism to demonstrate that two metrics known in the field of vision sciences are approximations of two different theoretical models of linear observers. The theory defines metrics of visual acuity to potentially predict changes in visual acuity due to optical aberrations, without needing a posteriori scale or offset.We illustrate our approach with experiments,using combinations of defocus and spherical aberration, and pure coma.

Domains: Optics / Photonic; Bioengineering

Charles-Edouard Leroux, Conor Leahy, Justine Dupuis, Christophe Fontvieille, Fabrice Bardin. Defining metrics of visual acuity from theoretical models of observers. Journal of Vision, 2024, 24 (4), pp.14. ⟨10.1167/jov.24.4.14⟩. ⟨hal-04556827⟩