Eye accommodation, or eye alignment, is the process of adjusting the eye to view objects at different distances. This process is made possible by changing the shape of the lens as a result of contraction of the ciliary muscle. What is the treatment of eye accommodation disorders?

Contents:

  1. Eye accommodation - how does the lens work?
  2. Eye accommodation disorders - causes
  3. Excessive accommodation
  4. Inadequate accommodation
  5. Eye accommodation disorders - treatment
  6. Eye accommodation disorders - can they be avoided?

Eye accommodationweakens with age, which means that we cannot see objects at different distances sharply and… we need reading glasses. This process is progressing, and this forces you to change glasses.

Eye accommodation - how does the lens work?

The lens is suspended on the ciliary rim that grows out of the ciliary body. The fibers of this rim attach to the lens capsule near its equator.

Epithelial cells near the equator of the lens divide throughout life and differentiate into new lens fibers, pushing older fibers inward to form the lens nucleus, and younger, less dense fibers surround the lens nucleus to form the bark.

The lens exhibits a certain flexibility, thanks to which it can change its shape to a more or less spherical shape, depending on the force with which the ciliary rim fibers tighten the lens capsule. This force is controlled by the ciliary muscle, which relaxes the fibers of the rim as it contracts.

Then the lens becomes more spherical and increases its optical power (the number of diopters increases), which enables sharp vision of closely located objects. The relaxation of the ciliary muscle has the opposite effect, it leads to the flattening of the lens allowing for sharp vision of distant objects.

Eye accommodation disorders - causes

With age, the flexibility of the lens decreases, and thus the ability to accommodate is weakened. It is more and more difficult to perform activities that require sharp vision at close range.

This process is called presbyopia and usually begins around 40 yearslife. It progresses until the age of 60-70, when the eye completely loses the ability to accommodate, and thus the ability to properly see objects up close.

In addition to presbyopia, the following may contribute to the incorrect course of accommodation:

  • eye diseases
  • systemic diseases
  • medications taken

The leading drugs are stimulants of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic system. Drugs used in the treatment of systemic diseases and narcotic drugs have a great influence on accommodation. Alcohol, marijuana, antihistamines can cause inefficient or insufficient accommodation, while morphine, sulfonamides - excessive accommodation.

In children, poor accommodation often occurs with problems such as:

  • anemia
  • piggy
  • flu
  • measles
  • tonsillitis
  • diphtheria
  • poisoning with heavy metals, or arsenic poisoning

In adults, insufficient accommodation often appears in the course of diseases such as:

  • encephalitis
  • multiple sclerosis
  • diabetes
  • typhoid
  • anemia
  • malaria
  • poisoning
  • sinusitis
  • facial nerve palsy
  • Parkinson's disease
  • damage to the brain stem and pineal gland
  • in numerous eye diseases, such as iritis, scleritis, glaucoma

Excessive accommodation may be associated with brain tumors and with trigeminal neuralgia.

Excessive accommodation

This is a type of accommodation dysfunction, also referred to asaccommodation spasm . It consists in excessive convergence, constriction of the pupils and pseudo myopia.

The cause of over-accommodation is uncorrected hyperopia, which forces the eye to over-accommodate for a long time and lead to a problem with its loosening.

Excessive accommodation may be associated with cerebellar tumors, pituitary tumors, or occur in a condition known as Arnold Chiari's malformation.

Inadequate accommodation

We can talk about insufficient accommodation in the case of five types of its weakening.

  1. Accommodation malfunction- patients show great difficulty in quickly sharpening the image by shifting their eyesight from a distance to the near, despite the fact that the amplitude of their eyes accommodation is normal.
  2. Inadequate accommodation- patients have reduced efficiency and amplitude of accommodation. Most often, the point close to accommodation is also distant.
  3. Fatigue of accommodation- eyes tire very quickly,and vision deteriorates when working at close range for a long time. During the accommodation tests, the patient initially performs them quickly and efficiently, but the pace begins to slow down.
  4. Seriousness of accommodation- accommodative response is delayed.
  5. Accommodation paralysis- no accommodation response.

Eye accommodation disorders - treatment

In order to correct refractive errors and accommodation disorders, glasses (regular, bifocal or progressive) or contact lenses are used.

Surgical treatment is also possible, i.e. surgical or laser vision correction.

In people with accommodation spasm, it is necessary to administer a drug that paralyzes the ciliary muscle to both eyes for about 2 weeks (in order to prevent accommodation and remove apparent myopia) and to use glasses appropriate for the actual refractive error.

It is also recommended to follow the hygiene rules of visual work, mainly avoiding prolonged visual work at close range. After treatment is completed, you should wear appropriate glasses or contact lenses and change them periodically. Periodic ophthalmological inspection is recommended.

Eye accommodation disorders - can they be avoided?

Age-related discomfort in accommodating (presbyopia) cannot be avoided. Clear close-up vision is possible thanks to appropriate glasses or contact lenses.

People with disabilities who do not use appropriate near vision glasses may experience eye pain and headaches, lacrimation, excessive blinking, chronic conjunctivitis and eyelid margin inflammation.

Exercises to ease the tension of accommodation and short breaks in visual work up close are beneficial for people who work long at the monitor and read a lot.

About the authorAnna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.

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Category:

Eye diseases and vision disorders