Pseudomyopia occurs when a

spasm A spasm is a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ such as the bladder. A spasmodic muscle contraction may be caused by many medical conditions, including dystonia. Most commonly, it is a muscle c ...

of the

ciliary muscle The ciliary muscle is an intrinsic muscle of the eye formed as a ring of smooth muscleSchachar, Ronald A. (2012). "Anatomy and Physiology." (Chapter 4) . in the eye's middle layer, uvea ( vascular layer). It controls accommodation for viewing ...

prevents the eye from focusing in the distance, sometimes intermittently; this is different from

myopia Near-sightedness, also known as myopia and short-sightedness, is an eye disease where light focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurry while close objects appear normal. Other symptoms may include ...

which is caused by the eye's shape or other basic anatomy. Pseudomyopia may be either organic, through stimulation of the

parasympathetic nervous system The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system, the others being the sympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system. The enteric nervous system is sometimes considered part of ...

, or functional in origin, through eye strain or fatigue of ocular systems. It is common in young adults who have active accommodation, and classically occurs after a change in visual requirements, such as students preparing for an exam, or a change in occupation.

Signs and Symptoms

The following symptoms may be seen in patients with pseudomyopia * Blurring of distance vision: Intermittent blurring of distant vision after prolonged near work is the main symptom of pseudomyopia. *

Asthenopia Eye strain, also known as asthenopia (from Greek ''a-sthen-opia'', grc, ἀσθενωπία, ), is a common eye condition that manifests through non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache, an ...

Headache Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result ...

* Eyestrain * Photophobia * Esotropia: Acute onset esotropia may occur in accommodative spasm, which is the common cause of pseudomyopia. * Diplopia: Diplopia may occur due to esotropia or convergence spasm The diagnosis is done by cycloplegic refraction using a strong cycloplegic like

atropine Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically given i ...

homatropine Homatropine (Equipin, Isopto Homatropine) is an anticholinergic medication that is an antagonist at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and thus the parasympathetic nervous system. It is used in eye drops as a cycloplegic (to temporarily paraly ...

eye drops. Accommodative amplitude and facility may be reduced as a result of the ciliary muscle spasm.

Treatment

Treatment is dependent on the underlying

aetiology Etiology (pronounced ; alternatively: aetiology or ætiology) is the study of causation or origination. The word is derived from the Greek (''aitiología'') "giving a reason for" (, ''aitía'', "cause"); and ('' -logía''). More completely, e ...

. Organic causes may include systemic or ocular medications, brain stem injury, or active ocular inflammation such as

uveitis Uveitis () is inflammation of the uvea, the pigmented layer of the eye between the inner retina and the outer fibrous layer composed of the sclera and cornea. The uvea consists of the middle layer of pigmented vascular structures of the eye and ...

. Functional pseudomyopia is managed though modification of working conditions, an updated refraction, typically involving a reduction of a myopic prescription to some lower myopic prescription, or through appropriate ocular exercises.

References

{{cite journal , vauthors = Chentsova O, Shatalov O , title = Comparative analysis of the efficacy of some methods of conservative treatment of accommodation spasms and myopia in children , journal = Vestn Oftalmol , volume = 118 , issue = 6 , pages = 10–2 , year = 2002, pmid = 12506647 Eye diseases

Signs and Symptoms

Treatment

See also

References