CYCLOPLEGIC AND NONCYCLOPLEGIC REFRACTION

Course overview

THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF VISUAL DISABILITY WORLDWIDE IS REFRACTIVE ERRORS, AND THEIR PROMPT DIAGNOSIS AND TIMELY TREATMENT ARE ESSENTIAL IN PREVENTING IRREVERSIBLE VISUAL SEQUELAE, SUCH AS AMBLYOPIA. REFRACTION CAN BE DIVIDED INTO CYCLOPLEGIC AND NON-CYCLOPLEGIC. CYCLOPLEGIC REFRACTION IS THE GOLD STANDARD INVESTIGATION IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH ACTIVE ACCOMMODATION AS IT PARALYZES CILIARY MUSCLE AND PREVENTS OVER MINUS CORRECTION BECAUSE OF THE ACCOMMODATIVE COMPONENT. THE DISADVANTAGE CAN BE TIME-CONSUMING, COSTLY, PATIENT DISCOMFORT BECAUSE OF DILATATION, AND THE NEED FOR AN OPTOMETRIST TO PERFORM A RETINOSCOPY. NON-CYCLOPLEGIC REFRACTION INCLUDES RETINOSCOPY, AUTO-REFRACTION, AND OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE REFRACTION, WHICH ARE LESS TIME-CONSUMING AND MORE COMFORTABLE FOR THE PATIENT. NON-CYCLOPLEGIC REFRACTION IS VERY HELPFUL IN VISION SCREENING IN LARGE VOLUME CENTERS AND RESEARCH SETTINGS. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NON-CYCLOPLEGIC AND CYCLOPLEGIC REFRACTION FOR UTILITY BY AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM.