Objective changes in astigmatism during accommodation.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown small but clinically significant changes in the power and axis of astigmatism when the eye accommodates. Monocular objective measurements of the eye during accommodation, when the object approaches the eye without convergence, also reveal small astigmatic changes. Moreover, it is known that the eye exhibits ocular cyclotorsion at different gaze angles. Since accommodation and convergence normally occur simultaneously, we studied the change in the magnitude and axis of astigmatism during accommodation for different convergence angles. METHODS: The left eye of 15 subjects between 20 and 49 years old (mean 28.5 ± 9.7 years) having ≤1.5 D astigmatism was evaluated. Measurements were made using a Shack-Hartmann aberrometer for an accommodation range of +0.50 D to -10 D in 0.50 D steps, and for four monocular convergence demands: 0°, 5°, 10° and 15°. Statistical analysis used power vectors to quantify the change in cylinder power and axis for each accommodation and convergence demand with age. RESULTS: Jackson cross-cylinder component J45 did not change during accommodation for all vergences tested. However, J0 changed by an average of -0.02 D per dioptre of accommodation (D/Dacc) for convergence demands of 0°, 5° and 10° and -0.03 D/Dacc for the 15° demand. This corresponds to an average cylinder power change of -0.05 D/Dacc for convergences of 0°, 5° and 10° and -0.08 D/Dacc for 15° of convergence. The cylinder axis always changed towards 90° (against-the-rule), and age did not play a significant role. CONCLUSIONS: Except for accommodation demands >4 D, we did not find a clinically significant change in astigmatism for convergence angles up to 15º. The small changes in cylinder power and axis may be due to shifts in the position of the crystalline lens during accommodation.

The Effect of Retinal Illuminance on the Subjective Amplitude of Accommodation.

SIGNIFICANCE: We show that the amplitude of accommodation decreases with retinal illumination even under photopic reading conditions and a constant pupil size. This result provides a basis for clinical approaches that are not based on an optical explanation. PURPOSE: We investigated the effect of retinal illuminance on the amplitude of accommodation while the pupil of the eye remained constant. METHODS: The amplitudes of accommodation of 10 young subjects (from 20 to 38 years of age) and that of 10 presbyopic subjects (from 45 to 54 years of age) were measured subjectively through an artificial pupil of 5 mm using a Badal optometer and for four values of retinal illuminance: 222, 821, 2138, and 5074 trolands. Phenylephrine was instilled to all the subjects to ensure that their natural pupil was greater than the artificial one in all experimental runs. Linear mixed-effects model for repeated measures with age and log luminance as covariates were used to check whether changes in amplitude of accommodation with retinal illumination were statistically significant. RESULTS: In the range of illuminances tested, the amplitude of accommodation decreased on average from 6.34 to 4.35 D in the young subjects and from 1.69 to 1.04 D in the presbyopic subjects. Illuminance was associated with the amplitude of accommodation in both young and presbyopic groups, with P < .01. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in the amplitude of accommodation with target illumination (a phenomenon named night presbyopia) under photopic light conditions is not only due to a reduction in the depth of focus as a consequence of pupil dilation; it is strongly affected by the decrease of retinal illumination.

Effect of phenylephrine on static and dynamic accommodation / Efecto de la fenilefrina sobre la acomodación estática y dinámica

Purpose: We tested the hypothesis that changes in accommodation after instillation of Phenylephrine Hydrochloride (PHCl) observed in some studies could be caused by changes in optics. Methods: We performed two experiments to test the effects of PHCl on static and on dynamic accommodation in 8 and 6 subjects, respectively. Objective wavefront measurements were recorded of the static accommodation response to a stimulus at different distances or dynamic accommodation response to a sinusoidally moving stimulus (between 1 and 3 D of accommodative demand at 0.2 Hz). The responses were characterized using two methods: one that takes into account the mydriatic optical effects on the accommodation produced by higher-order aberrations of the eye and another that takes into account only power changes paraxially due to the action of the ciliary muscle and regardless of the pupil size. Results: When mydriatic optical effects were taken into account, differences in responses before and after PHCl instillation were 0.51 ± 0.53 D, and 0.12 ± 0.15, for static and dynamic accommodation, respectively, and were statistically significant (p < 0.039). When mydriatic optical effects were not taken into account, the differences in responses before and after PHCl instillation were -0.20 ± 0.51 D, and -0.05 ± 0.14, for static and dynamic accommodation, respectively, and were not statistically significant (p > 0.313). Conclusions: The mydriatic effect of the PHCl causes optical changes in the eye that can reduce the objective and subjective measurement of accommodation

Objetivo: Probamos la hipótesis de que los cambios de la acomodación tras la instilación de Hidrocloruro de Fenilefrina (PHCl) observados en algunos estudios podrían estar originados por los cambios en la óptica. Métodos: Realizamos dos experimentos para probar los efectos de PHCl sobre la acomodación estática y dinámica en 8 y 6 sujetos, respectivamente. Se registraron las mediciones objetivas de frente de onda de la respuesta acomodativa estática a un estímulo a diferentes distancias, o la respuesta acomodativa dinámica a un estímulo con movimiento sinusoidal (entre 1 y 3 D de demanda acomodativa a 0,2Hz). Las respuestas se caracterizaron utilizando dos métodos: uno que tiene en cuenta los efectos ópticos midriáticos sobre la acomodación producida por aberraciones de alto orden, y otro que considera únicamente los cambios de potencia paraxialmente, debido a la acción del músculo ciliar, independientemente del tamaño de la pupila. Resultados: Al tenerse en cuenta los efectos ópticos midriáticos, las diferencias de las respuestas antes y después de la instilación de PHCl fueron de 0,51 ± 0,53 D, y 0,12 ± 0,15, para la acomodación estática y dinámica, respectivamente, siendo estadísticamente significativas (p < 0,039). Al no considerarse los efectos ópticos midriáticos, las diferencias en cuanto a las respuestas antes y después de la instilación de PHCl fueron de -0,2 ± 0,51 D, y -0,05 ± 0,14, para la acomodación estática y dinámica, respectivamente, no siendo estadísticamente significativas (p > 0,313). Conclusiones: El efecto midriático de PHCl origina cambios ópticos en el ojo que pueden reducir la medición objetiva y subjetiva de la acomodación

Effect of phenylephrine on static and dynamic accommodation.

PURPOSE: We tested the hypothesis that changes in accommodation after instillation of Phenylephrine Hydrochloride (PHCl) observed in some studies could be caused by changes in optics. METHODS: We performed two experiments to test the effects of PHCl on static and on dynamic accommodation in 8 and 6 subjects, respectively. Objective wavefront measurements were recorded of the static accommodation response to a stimulus at different distances or dynamic accommodation response to a sinusoidally moving stimulus (between 1 and 3 D of accommodative demand at 0.2Hz). The responses were characterized using two methods: one that takes into account the mydriatic optical effects on the accommodation produced by higher-order aberrations of the eye and another that takes into account only power changes paraxially due to the action of the ciliary muscle and regardless of the pupil size. RESULTS: When mydriatic optical effects were taken into account, differences in responses before and after PHCl instillation were 0.51±0.53 D, and 0.12±0.15, for static and dynamic accommodation, respectively, and were statistically significant (p<0.039). When mydriatic optical effects were not taken into account, the differences in responses before and after PHCl instillation were -0.20±0.51 D, and -0.05±0.14, for static and dynamic accommodation, respectively, and were not statistically significant (p>0.313). CONCLUSIONS: The mydriatic effect of the PHCl causes optical changes in the eye that can reduce the objective and subjective measurement of accommodation.