Comparison of retinoscopy results with and without 1% cyclopentolate in school-aged children.

Cyclopentolate 1% does not impact the cylindrical component of the retinoscopy result, but reveals significantly more hyperopia in the spherical component, both statistically and clinically in children aged 6-13 years. Differences between cycloplegic and non-cycloplegic sphere increase significantly with increasing hyperopia, independent of spectacle wear and accommodation. A non-cycloplegic retinoscopy result of ≥+1.50DS may be used by practitioners wishing to identify children aged 6-13 years at risk of clinically significant hyperopia (≥+2.50DS), but cycloplegia is required to accurately ascertain the full spherical error.