Study on Age–Specific Refraction Values and Amounts of Accommodation Using a Simultaneous Binocular Autorefractor

Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose:To investigate the amounts of accommodation and the difference between left and right eyes in individuals of varying ages using a new simultaneous binocular subjective/objective autorefractor.Methods:Objective refraction tests were performed in 100 healthy individuals aged 5 to 62 years old using a simultaneous binocular autorefractor (BV–1000, Topcon) with fixation–index distances of 400, 200, 133, 100, 50, 33.3, and 25 cm. The amounts of accommodation (proximal refraction value – the far–point refraction value) and the difference of those between left and right eyes were evaluated.Results: There was marked individual variation even in the same age groups in the amount of accommodation based on the refractive data by objective binocular measurements. Accommodation was hardly detected objectively in subjects in the fifth decade of life and older. The amounts of accommodations in both eyes were equivalent in the vast majority of subjects, but some discrepancies were recognized in some cases (–0.20 D±0.74 D). Conclusions:Objective simultaneous binocular autorefractometry performed with indexes placed at varying distances is useful for evaluating the physiology of age–based accommodation. The amounts of accommodations in both eyes were equivalent in most cases. Accommodative refractive changes are barely identified objectively in the fifth decade of life and older.

Keywords: refraction • binocular vision/stereopsis • aging