What is the standard working distance used in Mohindra retinoscopy?

• A. 25 cm
• B. 40 cm
• C. 50 cm
• D. 100 cm

Answer: (C)

Mohindra retinoscopy is designed for quick, infant-friendly assessment in a dim room, using a fixed close working distance to minimize accommodation and keep the reflex easy to observe. The distance chosen is 50 cm, which is practical for a clinician to hold steady and comfortable for a young patient. Because the test is performed at this fixed distance, a correction is applied to interpret the reflex in terms of the eye’s true refractive error (approximately subtracting about 1.50 diopters from the retinoscopy result to account for the working distance and the infant’s accommodation). So the standard working distance is 50 cm.