Certified Paraoptometric (CPO) Practice Exam 2025

What condition describes paralysis of the ciliary muscle that prevents accommodation?

1. Presbyopia

2. Cycloplegia

3. Astigmatism

4. Myopia

The correct answer is: Cycloplegia

The condition that describes paralysis of the ciliary muscle preventing accommodation is cycloplegia. When the ciliary muscle is paralyzed, the eye loses its ability to change its lens shape to focus on near objects, resulting in a fixed focus that does not allow for proper accommodation. Cycloplegia can be induced by certain medications or can occur due to specific conditions affecting the eyes. In contrast, presbyopia is a natural age-related condition where the lens becomes less flexible, which affects the eye's ability to focus on close objects but does not involve paralysis of the muscle itself. Astigmatism is a refractive error caused by an irregular shape of the cornea or lens, affecting how light is focused on the retina, and myopia refers to nearsightedness, where objects close by are seen clearly while distant objects appear blurry. These conditions do not involve paralysis of the ciliary muscle and thus do not directly prevent accommodation in the same way that cycloplegia does.