Dynamic retinoscopy for the objective examination of accommodation was described in the ophthalmic literature in the 1890s but is rarely used in ophthalmology today. The technique has been extensively investigated by the optometric profession, however, sometimes with confusing, and sometimes with useful, results. It can be of value in screening infants for astigmatism and anisometropia, in detecting incomplete cycloplegia, in detecting abnormalities of accommodation, and probably in determining the treatment strategy for eyes with amblyopia and deficient accommodation.