Automated refraction. A comparative study of automated refraction with the Nidek AR-1000 autorefractor and...

A prospective study was performed on 46 eyes to compare results of different methods of objective refraction, namely automated refraction with the Nidek AR-1000 autorefractometer and retinoscopy in cycloplegia. We found that automated refraction in cyclopentolate cycloplegia gave results that differed little from results of retinoscopy in atropine cycloplegia both with respect to sphere and cylinder. Axis determination was even better with automated refraction. Dry automated refraction gave inaccurate results for the spheric component presumably because of suboptimal control of accommodation in this group of young patients. We recommend automated refraction in cyclopentolate cycloplegia as an easy, rapid, accurate and convenient method for obtaining an objective refraction where accommodative disorders are suspected.