Effect of whiplash injury on accommodation

Background: Accommodative disturbance has been cited as one of the causes of visual disturbance following whiplash injury but to date, with one exception, none of the studies have incorporated a group of control subjects; none of the results have been statistically analysed. The aim of the present study was to examine the amplitude of accommodation in a group of whiplash subjects, the majority of whom had specifically complained of visual/ocular symptoms. Methods: The whiplash group consisted of 19 subjects and the control group consisted of 43 subjects. The amplitude of accommodation of the right and left eyes of the whiplash and control group subjects was measured and the results of the two groups compared. Results: There was reduced amplitude of accommodation of the right (P = 0.02) and left (P = 0.02) eyes in the whiplash group subjects compared to the control group subjects. Conclusion: These results indicate that whiplash was associated with defective accommodation in the present select group of whiplash subjects.