Which retinoscopy technique does NOT include accommodation?

Which retinoscopy technique does NOT include accommodation?

• A. MEM
• B. Mohindra
• C. Static retinoscopy
• D. Nott's method

Answer: (C)

In retinoscopy, the amount of accommodation present can change the reflex you observe, so some techniques intentionally engage the patient’s accommodation while others aim to keep it at a minimum. Static retinoscopy is performed with the patient fixating a distant target, effectively placing the eye’s focus at optical infinity. With the accommodation state at rest, you neutralize the reflex using lenses to reveal the true refractive error without relying on the patient’s accommodative response. That’s why this method does not involve accommodation in the measurement. The other techniques rely on near fixation or on eliciting accommodation to interpret the reflex. MEM uses a near target and the patient’s accommodative response to estimate refraction. Mohindra is done at a near working distance in a dark room and depends on the near reflex and the patient’s accommodation, albeit with a subtractive rule. Nott’s method also involves cues from accommodation to determine the refractive state. Therefore, static retinoscopy stands out as the technique that does not include accommodation.

In retinoscopy, the amount of accommodation present can change the reflex you observe, so some techniques intentionally engage the patient’s accommodation while others aim to keep it at a minimum. Static retinoscopy is performed with the patient fixating a distant target, effectively placing the eye’s focus at optical infinity. With the accommodation state at rest, you neutralize the reflex using lenses to reveal the true refractive error without relying on the patient’s accommodative response. That’s why this method does not involve accommodation in the measurement.

The other techniques rely on near fixation or on eliciting accommodation to interpret the reflex. MEM uses a near target and the patient’s accommodative response to estimate refraction. Mohindra is done at a near working distance in a dark room and depends on the near reflex and the patient’s accommodation, albeit with a subtractive rule. Nott’s method also involves cues from accommodation to determine the refractive state. Therefore, static retinoscopy stands out as the technique that does not include accommodation.