Case #24 Phoropter

History

A 20-year-old student comes to your office because he was just playing basketball at the field house and was hit in the face with a ball. His glasses were shattered and he now has a swollen eye lid. His visual acuity without his glasses is 20/100.

Phoropter

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Question #1

What tests could you perform with the phoropter in order to tell whether his vision was reduced due to an uncorrected refractive error?

Question #2

Does the size of the pin hole in the phoropter or with the hand held occluders make any difference?

Question #3

In what situations would the visual acuity with the pin hole be the same or worse?

Question #4

During a refraction, does the distance of the patient’s eyes from the phoropter make a difference in your findings?

Question #5

If both of your auxillary lens dials are set on OC, what will the patient report that they see?

Question #6

Is a phoropter the only instrument that can be used for a refraction?

Question #7

What other examination(s) should be done at this time?

References

Rubin, ML: Optics for Clinicians, ed 2, Gainsville, Fl, Triad Scientific Publishers, 1974.

Duane TA (ed): Clinical Ophthalmology, Vol (1), Chpt 37, 1987.

Michaels, DD: Visual Optics and Refraction: A Clinical Approach, St Louis, CV Mosby, 1980.

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