Which optical phenomenon, first investigated by Ibn al-Haytham, explains image distortion when light passes through incorrectly shaped lenses?

💡 Explanation

When light passes through a lens, spherical aberration occurs because rays at different distances from the lens center focus imperfectly, leading to a blurred image as described by Alhazen/Ibn al-Haytham. Therefore, spherical aberration causes blurring rather than chromatic effects, polarization, or diffraction which arise from different underlying mechanisms.

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