Every instrument your refraction room needs, selected for your room size and budget, with its price.
What equipment does a refraction room need?
Every refraction room needs the same core: trial lenses and a trial frame or a phoropter to measure with, a vision chart at the right distance, a table with a patient chair and a PD meter. Most practices add:
- an autorefractor or autorefractor-keratometer for an objective starting point;
- a slit lamp to examine the front of the eye;
- a tonometer for eye-pressure screening;
- a lensmeter to read the patient’s current glasses;
- trial lens sets in a case that suits your work.
More background: our guide Essential Tools for Precision in Eye Care.
How big does a refraction room need to be?
The distance test needs at least 4 m from the patient’s eyes to the vision chart; 5 to 6 m is ideal. The patient’s eyes are about 1 m from the back wall, so a room of 5 m long gives 4 m. In a shorter room a mirror on the wall opposite the patient, with the chart behind the patient, nearly doubles the distance: a 3 m room then gives about 4.9 m. Under 3 m we keep to the basic equipment. For the width, a unit with a phoropter arm needs about 2.2 m. Enter your room size above and the plan selects the chart and set-up that fit.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to equip a refraction room?
Every room starts with five basics: a vision chart, a trial lens set, a trial frame, a table with patient chair and a PD meter. Each examination you add (slit lamp, lensmeter, autorefractor, tonometer) and a phoropter with its unit add to that. The plan above shows the exact price of every instrument we select for your room and the total.
Can I change the instruments you select?
Yes. Every line shows our pick for your room size; “Change model” shows the other models that fit your room, with their price, and the total updates straight away.
I already have some equipment. Can I buy only what is missing?
Yes. Choose “Upgrading a room” and tick “I have this” on what you already own; the plan then lists only what is missing.
Do I need a phoropter, or are trial lenses enough?
Trial lenses with a trial frame are enough for refraction and are in every plan. A phoropter makes refraction faster, but it needs a unit with a phoropter arm and a room about 2.2 m wide; the plan adds both when your room and budget allow, and the trial set stays for checks and near work.
What if my room is shorter than 5 metres?
The distance test needs at least 4 m from the patient’s eyes to the chart. Below that, a mirror on the wall opposite the patient, with the chart behind the patient, nearly doubles the distance; our LCD vision chart can show mirrored letters for this. In a room under 3 m the plan keeps to the basic equipment, and under about 2.6 m even a mirror does not reach 4 m.