accommodative hysteresis

A term used to indicate an incomplete and temporary relaxation of the accommodation of the eye after a period of fixation. The amount of relaxation varies according to the position of the fixation point relative to the position of the tonic accommodation, and to the ametropia of the eye. In general, a sustained near visual task leads to an increase in accommodation, while a sustained distant visual task leads to a decrease in accommodation. See resting state of accommodation.