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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Simulating the Mechanics of Lens Accommodation via a Manual Lens Stretcher
Published on: February 23, 2018
Is myopia related to amplitude of accommodation?
1King/Drew Medical Center, Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA School of Medicine 90095, USA. dsfong@ucla.edu
Purpose:
To report the association between amplitude of accommodation and refractive error.
Methods:
Refractive error and amplitudes of accommodation were measured in 1,148 eyes of 696 patients as part of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study.
Results:
Eyes with myopia, defined as those with a refractive error of -0.75 diopter or more, have lower accommodative amplitudes (P = .005). After multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, occupation, and white race, lower amplitudes of accommodation remained associated with myopia (P = .03).
Conclusions:
Eyes with lower amplitudes of accommodation must use more of their accommodative reserve for near work. Myopia may be an adaptation that develops in eyes with reduced accommodative amplitudes.
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