16
11625-101-Rev. L
Instructions for Use
Suggested Preparation for Refraction
Techniques in preparing for refraction vary considerably. The points covered here are offered as sug-
gestions which can be arranged and modified to comply with your own particular technique.
1. Room illumination should be adequate for the practitioner to see both patient and Phoroptor. If room
and instrument stand light are not sufficient, it may be necessary to use a light from a retinoscope,
transilluminator, or pen pocket flashlight to see cornea and pupils in the center of the aperture.
2. To ensure that the patient’s eyes are fixating properly, a distant target, such as a (muscle) light or
single large letter, may be used.
Note:
The importance of properly adjusting the Phoroptor to the patient at the start of the examination
cannot be overemphasized.
3. To avoid fatigue, make certain that the patient is seated in a comfortable position so that, without
undue effort, he will keep his eyes centered with the apertures of the Refractor. The features of a
modern chair contribute appreciably to the comfort of the patient.
4. If the chair has been lowered to its lowest position for seating of the patient, the chair should be
raised until the patient’s eyes are on a level with the practitioner’s eyes in his normal working posi-
tion.
5. The Phoroptor should be moved close to the patient’s face and positioned so that his eyes and the
Phoroptor apertures are on the same level. The top line of the test chart should be level with or
slightly below the lens apertures.
6. With the above accomplished, lock arm motion.
7. Adjust Phoroptor Forehead Rest so that the patient’s corneas are approximately 13.75 mm as indi-
cated on the Corneal Aligning Device.
Note:
When it is known or suspected that the patient has a significant refractive error, use the Corneal
Aligning Device rather than visually judging distance. For use of Corneal Aligning Device, refer
to page 16.
8. When using the chair headrest, it should be brought forward until the pads rest against the patient’s
head. The patient should not be allowed to move his head backward to meet the headrest as this
will invariably cause him to tilt his head.
9. After the headrest is locked into position, the interpupillary adjustment is made by turning either P.D.
Adjustment Knob until the pupil of each eye is centered behind its respective aperture while the
patient is looking straight ahead.
10. If the patient’s head is held level in the headrest, and the Spirit Level shows the bubble in the center,
both eyes should appear on the same horizontal level in the apertures. If one eye is higher than the
other, it will be observed by noting the position of the pupils in the apertures.*
*When this occurs, the question of tilting the Phoroptor arises. The patient may have inadvertently tilted
his head or he may have an anatomical anomaly. Depending upon whether the patient’s eyeglasses
are to be adjusted to center the lenses before his eyes or decentered vertically to compensate for the
vertical imbalance of the eyes, the Phoroptor may or may not be tilted to center the patient’s eyes in the
apertures.
