The discrepancy between retinoscopic and subjective measurements: Effect of age

Comparison of the retinoscopic and subjective measurements of 1078 eyes of all ages showed that the discrepancy (retinoscopy--subjective) was positive and equal to 0.3--0.4 D in young eyes. The discrepancy diminished with age, eventually becoming negative in the 6th decade of life. The results are explained by postulating that retinoscopic light is reflected from the internal limiting membrane in young eyes and from a layer posterior to the photoreceptors in older eyes.