Can accommodation be reduced?

Accommodation is an issue for younger people; persons over the age of 40 have the a reduced chance of substantial accommodation. Normally a doctor will use eye drops that numb your eyes and prevent them from accommodating. As dilation is usually not an option at home, there are a number of ways to reduce accommodation during the refraction test. We have found that if a user takes the non-testing eye and focusses on an object at least 6 feet away, accommodation will be greatly reduced. Squinting or closing the non-testing eye creates some accommodation and is not recommended while taking the test.

With training most people can take the test without accommodation. Something that can help is having something colorful playing in the background (like an animated movie) to help your opposite eye focus. Focusing on something colorful can help you reduce some of the accommodation. If you are still having issues with accommodation, please contact our support team.