Spatial Frequency and the Dynamics of the Accommodation Response

Abstract
Consideration of modulation transfer functions for the defocused eye and of contrast sensitivity at the retinal level suggests that the initial accommodation response to the out-of-focus, retinal image of a normal, wide-band target must be based on low spatial frequency information. As the response brings the retinal image of the target closer to optimal focus, higher spatial frequency information becomes available, allowing further refinement of the response. These ideas are illustrated by experimental studies of the accommodation responses to grating targets of various spatial frequencies.