Magnitude of lateral chromatic aberration across the retina of the human eye

In this study, the lateral chromatic aberration of the human eye was quantified in order to assess its potential contribution to color vision in the peripheral retina. Lateral chromatic aberration was measured in the right eye of 4 adult observers as the physical misalignment between perceptually aligned short- and long-wavelength targets. Results were compared with predictions from a computer-simulated wide angle model eye. Lateral chromatic aberration generally increased with retinal eccentricity, but remained less than 10 min arc within 40 degrees of the fovea. At 60 deg, lateral chromatic aberration increased to approximately 30 min arc, but was reducible by refractive correction in the two observers retested. The results are consistent with previous reports of a sizeable region of reasonably good optical quality extending into the retinal midperiphery. Within this region, lateral chromatic aberration approximates the average spacing between adjacent retinal cones, indicating that it does not substantially limit peripheral color vision.