Objective accommodation measurements in prepresbyopic eyes using an autorefractor and an aberrometer

To test the repeatability of the iTrace wavefront aberrometer (Tracey Technologies, Inc.) and the WR-5100K autorefractor (Grand Seiko Co., Ltd.) and to measure accomodation in young and phakic prepresbyopic subjects.

University of Houston, College of Optometry, Houston, Texas, USA.

This study comprised 30 young adults and 15 prepresbyopic subjects. Accommodation was stimulated with near charts presented at various distances. Measurements were repeated 3 times for each target distance with both instruments. For test-retest reliability, the entire protocol was repeated on 3 additional days in 3 prepresbyopic subjects as well as twice on the same day in the young adults.

The mean age was 25.5 years +/- 3.25 (SD) (range 21 to 31 years old) in the young adult group and 41.2 +/- 2.98 years (range 38 to 49 years) in the prepresbyopic group. Bland-Altman analysis of repeated measures of the young subjects had limits of agreements (LoA) of 1.58 diopters (D) or less for each instrument and when compared between instruments. Normalized mean stimulus response functions in the prepresbyopic group were similar for the 2 instruments. Bland-Altman analysis of the accommodation measurements between the 2 instruments showed a mean difference of 0.07 D and an LoA of 0.70 D. Repeated measures of 3 prepresbyopic subjects had a range of standard deviations from 0.07 to 0.51 D.

The accommodative responses measured with the 2 instruments were not significantly different, and testing showed both instruments to be suitable for objective measurement of accommodation in a phakic prepresbyopic population with low accommodative amplitudes.