Cycloplegia is a state of pharmacologically induced paralysis of the ciliary muscle of the eye, leading to a loss of the lens’s ability to accommodate and preventing it from changing its curvature to enable sharp near vision. This condition is achieved by the use of cycloplegic eye drops containing drugs from the group of muscarinic receptor antagonists (parasympatholytics), such as cyclopentolate, atropine, tropicamide or homatropine, which block conduction along the oculomotor nerve in the area innervating the ciliary muscle. Different cycloplegic preparations have varying durations of action – ranging from a few hours in the case of tropicamide to as long as 7–14 days with atropine – which is important when selecting a drug for a specific clinical situation. Cycloplegia is an essential part of a thorough refraction examination in children and young adults, as it eliminates the influence of accommodation, which can mask the true refractive error, particularly in cases of latent hyperopia.
×