Manual Phoropter AO

Reichert AO Manual Phoropter : Comprehensive User Guide and Operating Principles

The Reichert AO Manual Phoropter, is a vital tool in the arsenal of optometry and ophthalmology professionals for accurately determining necessary optical corrections. This sophisticated device allows detailed and personalized evaluation of vision, offering complete flexibility in refraction examinations.

Operation Description

The Reichert AO Manual Phoropter consists of several dials that control lenses within the unit. These dials enable precise and incremental adjustment of spherical, cylindrical, and axis values for each patient's eye. Here are the main components of the Phoroptor:

Auxiliary Lens Knob (top dial): Selects various test lenses such as Maddox lenses, red/green lenses, or opens/closes necessary apertures.
Sphere Strong Control: Adjusts spherical power in coarse steps, while the Sphere Weak Wheel fine-tunes spherical power.
Cylinder Power Control: Modifies cylindrical power, and the Cylinder Axis Control adjusts the axis.
Turret Assembly: Rotates prisms and cross cylinders for advanced testing.
Optical Corneal Aligning Device: Ensures precise determination of effective lens power.

Operating Principle

The Reichert AO Manual Phoropter employs a precise optical system to measure necessary corrections for patient vision. All commonly used refraction methods can be applied using the Phoroptor, with freedom to choose the examination sequence according to user preference. Here is an overview of suggested steps for preparation and use of the refractor:

Recommended Preparation for Refraction

Refraction preparation varies, but these steps are recommended for optimal accuracy:

Room Lighting: Ensure adequate lighting to view both the patient and the Phoroptor. Additional lighting devices may be necessary to visualize the cornea and pupils.
Eye Fixation: Use a distant target to ensure proper fixation of the patient's eyes.
Comfortable Positioning: Ensure the patient is comfortably seated to maintain eye alignment with the refractor apertures.
Front-Panel Adjustment: Position the front panel to align the patient's corneas with the optical corneal aligning device.
Seat Height Adjustment: Adjust the seat height to align the patient's eyes with the refractor apertures.
Interpupillary Adjustment: Set interpupillary distance so each eye's pupil is centered behind its respective aperture.
Use of Optical Corneal Aligning Device: Ensure the device is correctly aligned for precise cornea-to-lens distance readings.

Using the Optical Corneal Aligning Device

The Phoroptor employs additive lens systems and an optical corneal aligning device for precise determination of lens effective power:

Additive Lens System: Includes specially calculated lenses and lens spacings, allowing straightforward addition of designated powers to achieve effective power of any possible combination.
Optical Corneal Aligning Device: Place this system at a specified distance from the eye for optimal accuracy in lens prescription.

Using Rotating Prisms and Cross Cylinders

The Reichert AO Manual Phoropter is equipped with rotating prisms and cross cylinders for advanced refraction testing:

Rotating Prisms: Offers a range of 20 prisms in all basic directions, controlled by finger-roll knob rotation.
Cross Cylinders: Used to test and adjust cylindrical powers precisely, automatically incorporating axis adjustments during cylinder testing.

Jackson Cross Cylinder Tests

A unique feature of the Reichert AO Manual Phoropter is the synchronization of cross cylinder lenses with corrective cylinder test lenses. This enables automatic adjustment of the cross cylinder axis with every change in the corrective cylinder axis, simplifying the refraction process.