The "Expected Visual Outcome" (EVO) model: methodology and clinical validation.

PROBLEM

If changes are made to the optics of the eye (e.g., intraocular lens implants, contact lenses, etc.) how will they affect performance on clinical tests of vision?

METHOD

A phenomenological method is presented based on in vitro optical transfer function (OTF) and a simple model of human threshold detection.

RESULTS

The model is used to predict and the results are compared with clinical data (acuity, contrast sensitivity) obtained from pseudophakic patients implanted with a multifocal intraocular lens (IOL). A good qualitative agreement is found with the clinical data.

SIGNIFICANCE

This model predicts the relative change in clinical performance for a given change in the optical components of the human eye. This simple phenomenological model permits numerical prediction of clinical tests and is easily calculable.