Method of filtering data for the objective classification of eyes

1. A method for classifying a patient's eye, comprising the steps of:

a. obtaining normal eye wavefront aberration data from a representative sample of normal eyes;

b. obtaining abnormal eye wavefront aberration data from a representative sample of a first class of abnormal eyes;

c. fitting the normal and abnormal eye wavefront aberration data with a basis function to decompose the normal and abnormal eye wavefront aberration data into normal and abnormal eye mathematical components;

d. examining the normal and abnormal eye mathematical components to develop mathematical optical filters capable of discriminating between normal and abnormal eyes, using statistical methods to define a probability distribution;

e. obtaining wavefront aberration data from the patient's eye;

f. fitting the patient's wavefront aberration data with a basis function to decompose the patient's wavefront aberration data into the patient's set of mathematical components;

g. examining the patient's set of mathematical components using the mathematical optical filters to generate a patient filter value; and

h. classifying the patient's eye by comparing the patient filter value with the probability distribution.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of examining is done using receiver operating characteristic analysis in the statistical methods.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of obtaining wavefront aberration data are selected from the group of methods consisting of using Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing, ray-tracing, corneal topography, and any method capable of producing wavefront aberration data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the basis function is selected from a group consisting of a Zernike expansion, Taylor series, Fourier series, and any basis function useful in development of optical filters.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront aberration data are obtained for only one ocular component of the eye.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the abnormal eyes comprise eyes having abnormalities comprising Keratoconus, Cataract, Lenticonus, Microspherophakia, Keratoglobus, Pellucid Marginal Degeneration, Terrien's Marginal Degeneration, Pterygium, and refractive error.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first class of abnormal eyes are eyes that are using an optical appliance.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the optical appliance is taken from the group consisting of contact lenses and intra-ocular lenses.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first class of abnormal eyes are eyes that have had a change in optical properties resulting from the use of an optical appliance.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first class of abnormal eyes are eyes that have had a change in optical properties resulting from surgery.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the normal eyes are a second class of abnormal eyes.

12. The method of claim 3 , wherein the corneal topography is performed using a method selected from the group consisting of slit scanning corneal topography, stereographic corneal topography, and any instrument capable of reporting topographic data.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wavefront aberration data are obtained for several ocular components of the eye.