Does the push-up test tend to overestimate or underestimate the amplitude of accommodation compared to other methods?

• A. Overestimate due to RDM
• B. Underestimate
• C. Equal
• D. Not predictable

Answer: (A)

The push-up method tends to overestimate how much the eye can accommodate because the real near target provides strong proximal cues and, as it moves closer, its retinal image grows larger. This retinal distance magnification increases the accommodative stimulus beyond the purely optical demand, so the measured near point is pushed closer and the calculated amplitude appears larger than the true accommodative capacity. In short, retinal distance magnification (proximal cues) biases the result upward, leading to an overestimation.