Imaging Performance of a Diffractive Corneal Inlay for Presbyopia in a Model Eye

In this work we evaluated the imaging properties of the Diffractive Corneal Inlay (DCI), a novel type of corneal implant working by diffraction that we proposed for the treatment of presbyopia. ZEMAX OpticStudio software was employed for the numerical assessment, with simulations performed in a human-based eye model. In the ray tracing analysis, we used the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), the Area under the MTF (AMTF), and the Point Spread Function (PSF). The theoretical performance of the DCI under different situations was evaluated in comparison with a commercially available pinhole based corneal inlay. Finally, real images were obtained experimentally in vitro in a model eye with inlays prototypes. The obtained results allow to state that the DCI exhibits a very high light throughput, improved imaging capabilities for far and near objects, and robustness against decentrations.