A 28-year-old man has cycloplegic refraction of +5.00 DS in both eyes. With his full correction worn, he still cannot read N8 at 40 cm even with maximal accommodative effort, though his amplitude of accommodation measures 5.00 D. His unaided distance vision improves when he holds reading material very close. This pattern indicates that his hypermetropia is predominantly:
- A Absolute hypermetropia ✓
- B Facultative hypermetropia
- C Latent hypermetropia
- D Pseudohypermetropia
Explanation
Absolute hypermetropia is the portion of total hypermetropia that cannot be overcome by accommodation, demonstrated when vision stays blurred despite maximum accommodative effort. Facultative hypermetropia is the portion corrected by accommodation, and latent hypermetropia is the tone of the ciliary muscle revealed only by cycloplegia. Since this patient cannot compensate even with his measured 5.00 D amplitude against a 5.00 D error at distance plus near demand, the error exceeds his reserve and is absolute. Pseudohypermetropia refers to small eyes appearing hypermetropic from a shallow anterior chamber appearance.
Reference: Parsons' Diseases of the Eye, 23rd ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.