A study of changes in axial length of eye during accommodation in Indian population

Abstract

Purpose: We performed this study to measure the changes of axial length during accommodation and see whether refractive error has any influence in effect of changes during accommodation.

Method: This study included 75 subjects who were divided into three groups according to refractive status. Axial length was measured before and after accommodation with A-scan. Accommodation was achieved by asking the subject to focus on N/6 line of near vision chart held at a distance of 33 cm with left eye with full refractive correction on the left eye.

Results: The mean increase in axial length was 0.051, 0.004, and 0.005 mm in Groups A, B and C respectively when focus of the left eye was shifted from 6 m to 33 cm. On further increasing the accommodation by shifting the focus of the left eye to 12.5 cm, the axial length increased by 0.08, 0.07, and 0.007 mm in Groups A, B, and C respectively. There was no significant difference in between three groups in these changes.

Conclusions: There was tiny but statistically significant increase in axial length along with accommodation in this study. This may be indirectly linked to the causation of myopia. There was no variation with refractive error in these changes.