Abstract:  Objective To analyze the distribution of human corneal aberrations in different optical zones and its changing trend with age. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants From 2006 to 2007, a total of 2308 healthy people aged 30-87 years-old were recruited for the Handan Eye Study. Method The subjects' corneal aberration was measured with i-trace visual analyzer. Main Outcome Measures Zernike coefficients and root mean square (RMS) values of trefoil, coma and spherical aberrations in the 3rd and 4th order higher-order aberrations of human cornea in the 3~6 mm optical zone. Results Corneal trefoil, coma and spherical aberration in the 6 mm optical zone accounted for 27.7%, 27.7%, and 44.2% of the total corneal higher-order aberrations, respectively. The RMS values of the corneal vertical trefoil, vertical coma, horizontal coma, oblique trefoil and spherical aberration in the 6 mm optical zone wss (0.194 ±0.508)μm, (0.199±0.309)?滋m, (0.135±0.108)μm, (0.137±0.131)μm, (0.295±0.145)μm respectively, and the r values were positively correlated with age: 0.173 (P<0.001), 0.181 (P<0.001), 0.083 (P<0.001), 0.154 (P<0.001), 0.073 (P<0.001). Linear regression shows that: with the increase of age, the vertical trefoil changes to the negative direction R2=0.021, P<0.05, the vertical coma, oblique trefoil and spherical aberration change to the positive direction R2 was 0.004, 0.007, 0.008, respectively (all P<0.05). Vertical trefoil and vertical coma were significantly larger in the older age group than in the younger age group, with H values of 75.89 (P<0.001) and 74.97 (P<0.001), respectively. Oblique trefoil was the next with 62.71 (P<0.001). The difference in horizontal coma and spherical aberration among different age groups was the smallest at 16.17 (P=0.003) and 22.47 (P＜0.001). Conclusion Within a 6 mm corneal optical zone, spherical aberration accounts for the highest proportion of higher-order aberrations. With the increase of age, the corneal vertical trefoil increased in the negative direction, and the vertical coma, oblique trefoil and spherical aberration increased in the positive direction. The trefoil and vertical coma increased significantly in the older age group, while horizontal coma and spherical aberration increased less with aging. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2022, 31: 292-296)

Key words: cornea, high-order-aberration, age