Accommodative changes in human eye observed by Kitasato anterior segment optical coherence tomography

To study accommodative changes in the human lens using swept-source optical coherence tomography (Kitasato anterior segment OCT/KAs-OCT), which can image the whole anterior segment of the eye.

Thirty-five healthy subjects (mean age 41 years, range 13-79 years) were recruited. Using KAs-OCT, we measured the curvature of the anterior (ASC) and posterior surfaces (PSC), the thickness (LT) of the lens and the anterior chamber depth (ACD) in response to far (0.4 D) and near (10 D) accommodative stimuli.

In response to accommodative stimuli (0.4/10 D), the mean values ± standard deviations were: radius of ASC, 9.72 ± 2.53/7.84 ± 1.85 mm (Wilcoxon ranked-sign test, p < 0.0001); radius of PSC, 5.06 ± 0.71/4.70 ± 0.76 mm (p = 0.0012); LT, 3.86 ± 0.77/4.00 ± 0.76 mm (p < 0.0001); ACD, 2.72 ± 0.61/2.61 ± 0.54 mm (p = 0.0002). The rate of accommodation-associated changes in ASC, LT, and ACD showed significant correlation with aging (Pearson correlation coefficient: r = -0.725, p < 0.0001; r = -0.626, p = 0.0001; r = -0.720, p < 0.0001, respectively), but there was no such correlation in PSC (r = -0.064, p = 0.401).

The radius of ASC and PSC decreased with accommodation, and the rates of changes in ASC were larger than those in PSC.