Duke-Elder was a renowned ophthalmologist who developed the testing and guidelines for determining specific types of muscle and eye structure movements that lead to impaired vision. Commonly known as accommodative dysfunctions, many eye doctors use the guidelines of Duke-Elder to determine what type of vision complications you may be experiencing. If you are seeking out treatment for a change in your vision, and you feel that vision change may be attributed to age or progression of muscle deterioration in your eyes, it is important to become familiar with the various types of accommodation complications recognized by Duke-Elder.
Accommodation dysfunction is the term used to describe a complication of vision in which the eyes have an inability to focus in on an object. Typically, when describing an eye disorder as having attributes of an accommodation dysfunction, an ophthalmologist will describe the condition in one of five subcategories. As an eye or vision patient, be sure you are familiar with these accommodation dysfunctions as each will require a specific type of treatment, or non-treatment, in some cases.
Spasm of accommodation is the term used to describe a complication involving vision focus when attributed to simple muscle spasms. For adults with a history of Bell’s palsy, muscle spasms around the eyes may be quite common and can often lead to spasm of accommodation eye diagnosis. For most adults with this complication, there is no cure but the progression of muscle spasms in the eyes can be slowed with the use of eye drops and vision therapy at home.
In addition to spasm accommodation, adults with changes in vision associated with accommodation dysfunction may also experience a diagnosis of paralysis of accommodation. This type of condition, again, can be attributed to a neurological complication in which the eye muscles are paralyzed due to a prior nerve complication. For adults with prior neurological complications or, again, a history of Bell’s palsy, the diagnosis of paralysis of accommodation is quite common. In these cases, paralysis is permanent and not usually resolved with any type of treatment.
There are many types of accommodation dysfunctions of the eyes that can be assigned by a licensed eye specialist. When struggling with your vision, be sure you are familiar with your diagnosis and what the accommodation dysfunction may be and how you can mitigate the progression or treat the complication to alleviate the symptoms. In doing so, you can have a more happy and healthy vision health later in life.
Sources: Journal of Eye Disease, 2006: 8: 9-15.
