Page 81 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition January-February 2022
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ULTRAMATIC RX MASTER PHOROPTOR - 1956 ILLUMINATED PHOROPTOR - 2003
a registered trademark by the United States systems, which enables practitioners to see
Patent & Trademark Office on 10 January 1922 more patients in more places.
to coincide with its first model release. This
article points to the distinction, particularly What started out as a spectacle shop,
as it’s about the evolution of the original American Optical, founded by William Beecher
refracting instrument and at a time when in 1833, was incorporated as a company in 1869.
Reichert Technologies is celebrating 100 years The company made major contributions to
of the Phoroptor. the science of vision including the adoption
of the dioptric system of lens power and its
To go back to its origins: In 1915, Henry acceptance by the US Bureau of Standards. Its
DeZeng, a New Jersey inventor, introduced inventions include numerous industry standard
the Model 570 Phoro-Optometer. Seven years products such as the first rimless spectacles,
later he released the No. 584, the first official the manufacture of toric lenses used for
Phoroptor refracting instrument. correction of astigmatism, and the Lensometer,
American Optical Company, the predecessor the first means to measure spectacle power.
to Reichert, acquired the DeZeng Standard in American Optical became Reichert
1925 and contributed further to vision care with Ophthalmic in the 1980s. Reichert Technologies,
the Additive Effective Power 589 Phoroptor, a manufacturer of high-quality refraction
released in 1934. This included the addition devices, continues to be noted in the eye care
of the Jackson Cross Cylinder lenses, and the sector as a company with innovation at its core.
iconic question, “Better 1 or better 2?” The
Ultramatic RX Master Phoroptor that came Every Phoroptor has been designed
out in the 1960s introduced the shape and and assembled in a state-of-the-art facility
functionality commonly recognised today. in Buffalo, New York, since the 1930s. The
refractors are shipped out to many parts of the
Phoroptor became the standard for world from the United States.
every eye care professional as a means of
providing accurate and efficient eye exams.
The technology behind it however continued
evolving. In 2003, Reichert released the
patented, LED-based Illuminated Phoroptor
model – practitioners could now see the
measurement dials in the examination room
kept dim for patients.
The Phoroptor VRx Digital Refraction System
followed in 2015. Operated by a computerised
controller and capable of interfacing directly
with Electronic Medical Records (EMR), it can
perform remote refractions via telehealth PHOROPTOR VRX - 2015
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