Associations between Accommodative Facility, Age, and Refractive Errors in Early, Older Adolescent Myopes and...

Accommodative functions are known to differ between myopes and emmetropes. It is not known whether accommodative facility differs at near between younger adolescent and older adolescent myopes and emmetropes.

To examine whether accommodative facility differs at near between younger and older adolescent myopes and emmetropes.

119 participants aged between 11-21 years were recruited. Refractive error was measured using cycloplegic retinoscopy. Near monocular accommodative facility was measured for 60 seconds, using a +2.00D/-2.00D handheld flipper and N6 print at 40 cm. Participants were classified into two age groups: (i) younger adolescents (range: 11-14 years) and (ii) older adolescents (range: 15-21 years). The criterion applied to define myopia was spherical equivalent refraction: ≥-0.50D) and spherical equivalent refraction: -0.25D to +0.75D) for emmetropia. Univariate Analysis of Variance was carried out to analyze the interaction of age groups and refractive groups on near accommodative facility.

Near monocular accommodative facility was significantly lower (p = 0.003) in younger adolescents (5.87 ± 3.72 cpm) compared to older adolescents (8.11 ± 4.11 cpm), indicating age as a significant main effect (F_1,115 = 13.44; p = 0.0001). Younger adolescent emmetropes (4.77 ± 2.05 cpm, p = 0.005) and younger adolescent myopes (6.48 ± 4.12 cpm, p = 0.022) had significantly lower monocular near accommodative facility compared to older adolescent emmetropes (9.52 ± 3.27 cpm), but did not show any difference when compared to older adolescent myopes (p > 0.05). This indicates a significant association linking age and refractive error to near accommodative facility (F_1,115 = 4.60; p = 0.03).

Younger adolescent myopes and younger adolescent emmetropes had reduced monocular near accommodative facility than older adolescent emmetropes, but not when compared to older adolescent myopes.