Veiling Glare Due to Reflections from Component Surfaces: The Paraxial Approximation

Veiling glare can cause significant deterioration of image quality in many systems. One of the sources of veiling glare, that of multiple reflections, can be investigated in the paraxial approximation. Paraxial ray tracing offers a rapid method of determining which surfaces, if any, are likely to cause significant veiling glare. The procedure outlined here is intended to be used at the design stage.