Scleral expansion surgery does not restore accommodation in human presbyopia.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the efficacy of scleral expansion surgery in the treatment of human presbyopia.


METHODS
Experimental study.


METHODS
Three preoperative presbyopic subjects, three postoperative presbyopic subjects, and three young control subjects.


METHODS
Accommodative responses were recorded by an infrared dynamic optometer while subjects viewed an accommodative stimulus that stepped from 0 to 4 diopters in 1-diopter steps.


METHODS
Dynamic infrared optometer recordings of accommodation.


RESULTS
Presbyopic patients showed no evidence of accommodation after scleral expansion surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
If presbyopic patients read smaller letters at near after scleral expansion surgery than they were able to read prior to the surgery, then an explanation other than the restoration of accommodation needs to be found.
D000065:Accommodation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011305:Presbyopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012590:Sclera / Q000601:surgery*; D015626:Tissue Expansion; D014787:Vision Tests