Amplitude of accommodation and its relation to refractive errors.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between amplitude of accommodation and refractive errors in the peri-presbyopic age group.


METHODS
Three hundred and sixteen right eyes of 316 consecutive patients in the age group 35-50 years who attended our outpatient clinic were studied. Emmetropes, hypermetropes and myopes with best-corrected visual acuity of 6/6 J1 in both eyes were included. The amplitude of accommodation (AA) was calculated by measuring the near point of accommodation (NPA). In patients with more than +/- 2 diopter sphere correction for distance, the NPA was also measured using appropriate soft contact lenses.


RESULTS
There was a statistically significant difference in AA between myopes and hypermetropes (P < 0.005) and between myopes and emmetropes (P < 0.005) in the 35-39 year age group. In the 40-44 year age group, there was a significant difference in AA between emmetropes and hypermetropes (P < 0.0001), emmetropes and myopes (P < 0.01) and hypermetropes and myopes (P < 0.0001). In patients above 45 years of age there was no significant difference (P > 0.5).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed higher amplitude of accommodation among myopes between 35 and 44 years compared to emmetropes and hypermetropes.
Department of Ophthalmology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
Lekha Mary
LM
Abraham
Thomas
T
Kuriakose
Viswanathan
V
Sivanandam
Nithya
N
Venkatesan
Ravi
R
Thomas
Jayaprakash
J
Muliyil
D000065:Accommodation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D006956:Hyperopia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011305:Presbyopia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014792:Visual Acuity