An optical method for deriving the anterior and posterior curvatures of intraocular lenses using dual back-vertex power measurements
We present a theoretical framework to estimate the anterior and posterior radii of curvature of a thick intraocular lens (IOL) by measuring its back-vertex power in two orientations. Armed with the lens thickness, refractive index, and a potential axial offset d from haptic angulation, one can determine the individual surface powers and, thus, the geometry of the implant. Using paraxial optics, we derive the back-vertex power in normal and flipped orientations. We consider two cases: d = 0 (no haptic-induced offset) and [Formula: see text] (finite shift). In the d = 0 case, using standard paraxial relations (y-[Formula: see text] method), we obtain compact expressions that allow direct recovery of the surface powers from the dual back-vertex powers. For [Formula: see text], the measured powers are first mapped back to the lens vertex (Eq 11), after which the same closed-form retrieval as for d = 0 applies. When d = 0, a closed-form solution yields the surface powers [Formula: see text] and radii [Formula: see text]. If the lens is shifted by d, we first correct to the vertex plane (Eq 11) and then apply the same closed-form relations. Though lens nominal power alone does not reveal geometry, our dual-orientation approach recovers how much power resides on each surface, benefiting thick-lens IOL power formulas and refining predictions in cataract surgery planning.
Authors
- Damien Gatinel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9603-0500)
Institutions
- International University of Rabat (MA)
- Fondation de Rothschild (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS ONE
- Published
- 2025-12-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337041
- Primary Topic
- Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00