CORNEAL TOPOGRAPHY - PHOTOKERATOSCOPY INCLUDING THE CENTRAL REGION

The central corneal zone is depicted on keratoscope photographs using a small target aperture and a large object distance. Information on th e peripheral area is included by employing a hemispherical target with a dense circular and radial pattern. On a 16 mm (R = 8 mm) reference steel sphere the diameter of the innermost reflected mire is 0.20 mm a nd the distance between mires 0.13 mm. The standard deviation on focus ing precision, determined to 0.20 mm employing a fixed object, corresp onds to an error of 0.06% in linear measurements on keratographs. The variation in object distance due to the curved image plane is at most 0.55 mm within 60 deg from the optical axis of the system for the refe rence sphere. Nevertheless, all reflected mires are distinctly reprodu ced on the keratoscope photograph. For a test object the slopes of lig ht intensity curves on the passage between black and white areas are r educed by only 1.0% with a variation in object distance of 0.55 mm aro und focus.