Relentless bilateral accommodation spasm in an adolescent treated with clear lens extraction

Abstract

Introduction: Pathologic accommodation spasm occurs when persistent contraction of the ciliary muscle of the eye induces pseudomyopia. The purpose of this report was to describe the case of an adolescent with recurrent ciliary spasm, refractory to medical treatment for several years. Patient and Clinical Findings: A 10-year-old girl was evaluated because of complaints of decreased visual acuity (VA) and frequent headaches. Diagnosis, Intervention and Outcomes: The diagnosis of pseudomyopia due to accommodation spasm was established. No organic causes were detected. She started treatment with cycloplegics, which were successively titrated at different doses, along with the use of spectacles, over the following years. After 7 years of follow-up, the lack of efficacy of treatment and intolerance to its side effects demanded further action, so a clear lens extraction was performed, with the implantation of continuous focus transition multifocal intraocular lenses. Her final uncorrected distance VA was 6/6 in each eye, with good intermediate vision and J1 near vision with +2.00 addition. Conclusions: In severe cases of ciliary spasm, medical therapy and spectacle prescription may not be sufficient to control the disease. Intraocular lens implantation may be the only remaining therapeutic option to provide quality of life to the patient.