Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.31299/hrri.62.1.6
Measuring the speed and amplitude of accommodation in school-aged children
Sonja Alimović
orcid.org/0000-0003-2122-7944
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Science, Department of Visual Impairments, Borongajska cesta 83f, Zagreb, Croatia
Andrea Paulik
orcid.org/0009-0005-5502-8662
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Science, Department of Visual Impairments, Borongajska cesta 83f, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Matea Kasun Luburić
orcid.org/0009-0001-5863-4546
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Science, Department of Visual Impairments, Borongajska cesta 83f, Zagreb, Croatia
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Purpose: Visual accommodation, the eye’s ability to shift focus between near and distant objects, is essential for functional vision in school-aged children. While normative data for the amplitude of accommodation are well established, the speed of accommodation — crucial for tasks such as copying from the board or switching between a screen and paper — remains largely undocumented.
The aim of this study was to establish preliminary baseline data for both amplitude and speed of accommodation in typically developing children, thus, providing reference values that may support the early identification of visual difficulties in educational settings.
Methods: The study included 42 children (aged 6-14 years, grades 1-8) from a regular primary school in Zagreb. Visual functioning was assessed using near and distance Lea Numbers charts for visual acuity, monocular near point of accommodation (NPA), and convergence testing. Speed of accommodation was evaluated through a functional method: after reading near targets (40 cm), students were asked to shift their focus to distance targets (5 m), during which the time to recognition was recorded. Data were analysed using SPSS (Version 29), employing descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlations, as well as Wilcoxon Signed Rank and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Results: The average accommodation speed was 1.17 seconds, with 57.1% of students responding within 0.5 seconds. While speed of accommodation significantly correlated with near and far visual acuity, it showed no association with convergence or NPA. Most children demonstrated an NPA that exceeded age-based expectations, particularly those in the third grade.
Conclusions and importance: These findings highlight the relevance of accommodation speed in functional vision. Establishing normative data in the future may improve screening protocols and guide educational adaptations for children with subtle visual inefficiencies that could impact learning outcomes. Future studies should expand on these findings with larger, more diverse
samples.
Ključne riječi
accommodation; speed of accommodation; accommodation amplitude; school-aged children; functional vision
Hrčak ID:
348363
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *