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Updated: Aug 4, 2026

Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients
Published on: March 29, 2022
Cycloplegic refractions in healthy children aged 1 through 48 months
D L Mayer1, R M Hansen, B D Moore
1Department of Ophthalmology, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Insights
Refractive error in children shows significant changes with age, with hyperopia and its variability decreasing as they grow. This study describes these refractive error trends in healthy infants and toddlers.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Optometry
- Vision Science
Background:
- Refractive errors are common in children and can impact visual development.
- Understanding refractive error progression is crucial for early detection and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe refractive errors in healthy children aged 1-48 months.
- To test if spherical equivalent (SE) becomes less hyperopic and less variable with age.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, cross-sectional study of 514 healthy, term-born children.
- Cycloplegic retinoscopy used to measure refractive error in both eyes.
- Analysis of SE and astigmatism as a function of age.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in SE between right and left eyes.
- Hyperopia and SE variability significantly decreased with age.
- Astigmatism was most common in infancy, decreasing with age; myopia and anisometropia were rare.
Conclusions:
- Declines in hyperopia and SE variability are key features of emmetropization.
- Established prediction limits offer a reference for individual patient data comparison.
Objectives:
To provide a description of refractive errors in healthy, term-born children, aged 1 through 48 months, and to test the hypotheses that spherical equivalent becomes significantly less hyperopic and less variable with increasing age.
Methods:
Following a prospective, cross-sectional design, cycloplegic retinoscopy was used to measure the refractive error in both eyes of 514 healthy, term-born children in 12 age groups. Three hundred were aged 12 months or younger. Spherical equivalent and cylindrical power and axis were analyzed as a function of age. Prediction limits for spherical equivalent were calculated.
Results:
Spherical equivalents of right and left eyes did not differ at any age. Hyperopia declined significantly with increasing age. The variability in spherical equivalent also decreased significantly with age. Cylindrical error of 1 diopter or more was found in 25% of the children; the proportion with astigmatism was highest in infancy and then waned. Myopia and anisometropia were rare, occurring in 3% and 1% of the sample, respectively.
Conclusions:
Significant declines in hyperopia and variability of spherical equivalent appear to be features of emmetropization. The normal prediction limits provide guidelines against which data from individual patients can be compared.
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