Exercise for presbyopia is theoretically ineffective. However, some studies have reported favorable subject responses, although the reasons were not detected. We investigated one such presbyopic exercise. Twenty-three volunteers (48.5 ± 5.0 years) viewed near (30-40 cm) and far (>5 m) points back and forth 20 times in one set and repeated this four times daily. After 2 months, the accommodation or near visual acuity did not improve. The pupillary size under accommodative stimulation decreased significantly (p = 0.04) from 4.03 ± 0.84 to 3.75 ± 0.98 mm, and the convergence amounts increased significantly (p = 0.03) from 0.71 ± 0.25 to 0.98 ± 0.46 mm. The overall satisfaction with the near vision improved significantly (p = 0.02). The changes in the pupillary sizes and convergence amounts did not differ between subjects with improved satisfaction (positive group) and those without improvement (negative group) (p = 0.50 and p = 0.94, respectively). The pupillary size after exercise was significantly (p = 0.04) smaller in the positive group (3.19 ± 0.82) than in the negative group (4.08 ± 0.94). In conclusion, the exercise for presbyopia was fundamentally ineffective to improve accommodation, however, it strengthened miosis while viewing near and might improve satisfaction for near vision. (Clinical Trial Registration number: UMIN000023561).
Keywords: accommodation; near vision; presbyopia; pupillary size.