Use of a customized vision model to analyze the effects of higher-order ocular aberrations and neural filtering on contrast threshold performance.

Customized optical filtering and light-dependent neural filtering were implemented in an ideal-observer model for an L-alternative forced-choice visual task. The model was applied to a contrast threshold visual task with adaptive optics correction of ocular higher-order (HO) aberrations under different light regimes, for which experimental data have previously been obtained (J. Mod. Opt.55, 791, 2008). A separability measure was used to assess the model-observer performance and to investigate the joint effect of optical and neural filtering. The numerical results were consistent with the experimental data in the assessment of the effect of HO aberrations as a function of light level.