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Updated: May 23, 2026
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Quantification of Oculomotor Responses and Accommodation Through Instrumentation and Analysis Toolboxes
Published on: March 3, 2023
Measuring changes in ciliary muscle thickness with accommodation in young adults
Laura Ashley Lossing1, Loraine T Sinnott, Chiu-Yen Kao
1College of Optometry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
Summary
This study developed a protocol using Zeiss Visante™ AS-OCT to measure ciliary muscle changes during accommodation. Findings show anterior thickening and posterior thinning, supporting its use for dynamic eye measurements.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Anatomical Imaging
Background:
- Accurate measurement of ciliary muscle dynamics during accommodation is crucial for understanding visual function and developing treatments for accommodative disorders.
- Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) offers high-resolution imaging of ocular structures, but its application in dynamic ciliary muscle assessment requires a refined protocol.
- Previous methods for assessing ciliary muscle changes were limited in precision and dynamic capability.
Observation:
- The study utilized the Zeiss Visante™ AS-OCT system to image the ciliary muscle in 25 young adults across two visits.
- Accommodative response was precisely monitored using the PowerRefractor during AS-OCT imaging.
- Ciliary muscle thickness (CMT) was measured at multiple points (CMT1, CMT2, CMT3, CMTMAX) under distance viewing and a 4.00 D accommodative stimulus.
Findings:
- A novel measurement protocol was successfully developed and validated for assessing ciliary muscle dimensional changes during accommodation.
- Statistically significant changes in ciliary muscle thickness were observed: anterior regions (CMTMAX, CMT1) thickened, while posterior regions (CMT3) thinned.
- The study demonstrated significant changes per diopter of accommodation, with CMTMAX increasing by 18.1 µm/D and CMT3 decreasing by 12.0 µm/D.
Implications:
- The combined use of Visante™ AS-OCT and PowerRefractor provides a feasible and repeatable method for quantifying dynamic ciliary muscle behavior.
- Accurate assessment of ciliary muscle accommodation is vital for diagnosing and managing conditions like presbyopia and accommodative dysfunction.
- Simultaneous measurement of accommodative response and imaging is recommended for precise estimation of ciliary muscle dimensional changes.
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