2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
3 Clinical Optics
Chapter 4: Clinical Refraction
Objective Refraction Technique: Retinoscopy
Fixation and Fogging
Retinoscopy should be performed with the patient’s accommodation relaxed. The patient should fixate at a distance on a nonaccommodative target. For example, the target may be a dim light at the end of the room or a large Snellen letter (20/200 or 20/400 size). Plus lenses may be introduced in front of the eye not being examined to aid in the relaxation of accommodation. Accommodating after fogging is performed will only further blur the image. Children typically require pharmacologic cycloplegia (such as cyclopentolate 1%).
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series : Section 3 - Clinical Optics. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.