Objective accommodation measurements in pseudophakic subjects using an autorefractor and an aberrometer

To compare objective measures of accommodation with the WR-5100K autorefractor and iTrace aberrometer to subjective push-down and defocus tests in normal phakic subjects and pseudophakic subjects with standard monofocal intraocular lenses (IOLs).

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

The push-down test and defocus curves were used to stimulate and measure accommodation subjectively in pseudophakic subjects. For objective testing, a near target was pushed up and refraction measured objectively. For comparison, the same objective measurements were performed in phakic subjects. Calibration tests were performed with soft contact lenses in phakic subjects with varying refractive error and in pseudophakic subjects.

Fifteen phakic subjects (mean age 28.9 years+/-5.52 [SD]) and 10 pseudophakic subjects (mean age 66.2+/-11.23 years) participated. Subjectively measured accommodative amplitude in the pseudophakic group was 3.28+/-1.11 diopters (D) in the right eye and 3.64+/-1.38 D in the left eye. Defocus curves in the pseudophakic group had a range of 2.00 D for distance-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better. Objective measurements in the pseudophakic group were 0.11+/-0.50 D with the autorefractor and 0.10+/-0.47 D with the aberrometer. Contact lens calibrations showed good agreement with the 1:1 line.

The subjective tests overestimated accommodative amplitude relative to the objective measures. The autorefractor and aberrometer were accurate, reliable, and appropriate for objective accommodation measurements in pseudophakes. Objective accommodation measurements such as these can be used to evaluate the performance of accommodating IOLs.