The amount of hyperopia present in subjective refraction is called which?

• A. Manifest hyperopia
• B. Absolute hyperopia
• C. Facultative hyperopia
• D. Latent hyperopia

Answer: (A)

Manifest hyperopia is the hyperopic error you observe during subjective refraction, i.e., the amount present with the patient using their habitual accommodation at distance. It reflects what the patient actually experiences under normal viewing conditions and is the hyperopia you’d typically correct for in a standard refraction.

Latent hyperopia is hidden by the eye’s current accommodation and only becomes evident when accommodation is eliminated (cycloplegia). Absolute hyperopia is the portion that cannot be neutralized by any accommodation, revealed under cycloplegia. Facultative hyperopia is the part that can be overcome by the patient’s accommodation to some degree, influencing near focus.

So the hyperopia you measure in subjective refraction corresponds to manifest hyperopia.