Free-space accommodative response and minus lens-induced accommodative response in pre-school children

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the accommodative accuracy of pre-school children between free-space accommodative stimulus and minus lens-induced accommodative stimulus.

The accommodative responses of 59 pre-school children, ages 2 to 5 years, were measured objectively with a Canon Autoref R-1 under two different conditions, giving an optical accommodative stimulus of 1 D; first, viewing a target placed 100 cm away (free-space stimulus), and second, viewing a distant target through a -1.00 D lens.

The mean lag of the accommodative response for the free-space accommodative stimulus is 0.24 D, while the mean lag of the accommodative response with the minus lens-induced accommodative stimulus is 0.69 D. The lag of accommodative response for free-space accommodative stimulus is significantly lower than the lag of accommodative response for minus lenses.

Pre-school children can accommodate more accurately toward a free-space accommodative stimulus, as compared with minus lens-induced accommodative stimulus.