Lensometry What is Lensometry?

Lensometry is the procedure used to

measure the prescription of a patient’s
patient s
existing eyeglass lenses or the power of
contact
t t lenses.
l Although
Alth h some people l
refer to this as neutralization, this is
technically incorrect. The term
pp
neutralization applies to retinoscopy.
py

Lensometry measures four

How is Lensometry performed?
principal properties of lenses:
Lensometry is performed with a specialized
• Spherical
p and cylindrical
y p
power instrument know as a lensometer.
in diopters Manual
Lensometer

• Axis,
A i if cylindrical
li d i l
• Prism,
Prism amount and direction
direction, if
any
• Optical centers Automated
Lensometer
 Types of Lensometers Performing Manual Lensometry
• Lensometers may be either manual or automated
automated.
There are several manufacturers for each. Although most manual lensometers look
• To perform manual lensometry,
lensometry the operator should p a different brand name,, the
similar despite
have a thorough understanding of lensometry as buttons and knobs may be placed
well as optical principles
principles. differently on certain models and the mires
• Performing automated lensometry requires very may have a slightly different appearance.
littl skill
little kill or knowledge
k l d off optics.
ti The technique is the same for plus and
• Automated lensometry may be quicker to perform minus cylinder.
but in most cases the instrument is more expensive
to purchase than a manual lensometer.

The following principles may be

Eyepiece
applied to all manual lensometers:
The first three steps in performing lensometry on
lenses of all types are:
1. Focusing the instrument eyepiece
2. Positioning the eyeglass lens to be measured
on the specific table (or frame support platform)
of the lensometer
3. Measuring the sphere power and, if present
cylinder power and axis
axis, either plus or minus
cylinder form.
 Focusing the Eyepiece Focusing the Eyepiece
• Y
You mustt focus
f the
th eyepiece
i prior
i to
t • Turn the eyepiece toward the plus direction
using the lensometer, failure to do so • Slowly turn the eyepiece in the opposite
could result in erroneous readings direction until the target is clear
• With no lens in the lensometer,, look • Turn the power wheel to focus the mires
through the eyepiece of the instrument • The mires should focus at a reading of zero
• Turn the power wheel until the mires (plano)
(the perpendicular crossed lines), • If the mires do not focus at plano, repeat
viewed through the eyepiece
eyepiece, are totally these
h steps from
f the
h beginning
b i i
out of focus

Positioning the eyeglass lens Power wheel

Power wheel

Axis wheel
Platform / table

Gimbal
 Measure the sphere power Thin “single”
Thin, single lines that represent the sphere

Align the lens so that the mires cross in the center

of the target (if unable consider prism)

Perpindicular, widely spaced thick lines that represent the cylinder

Measuring the sphere power Cylinder

• Turn the power wheel either direction to focus the
if all the mires do not come into focus at the same time
mires

if all the mires come into focus at the same time…

• Si
Simultaneously
lt l rotate
t t the
th axisi wheel
h l tot focus
f andd
straighten the thin sphere lines, record the number
on the power wheel,
wheel this is the sphere power
Record the number on the
power wheel,
• Leaving the axis as it is, bring the thick lines into
This is a spherical only Rx focus by turning the sphere wheel
 Lensometry technique for
Cylinder multifocal lenses
• Algebraically add the number shown If the glasses are multifocal the first step is to
determine the distance Rx. For a traditional
now on the power wheel with the
lined segment add you would then reposition
number previously recorded as the the glasses so that the center of the bifocal
sphere this is the cylinder amount,
sphere, amount add is in the lensometer gimbal.
record the axis
• To transpose the cylinder, rotate the
axis
a s 90
90˚and
a d sta
startt o
over
e

The absolute ppower of the bifocal segment

g is always
y
more plus (or less minus) than the sphere power in
the upper (distance) portion of an eyeglass lens. The
add
dd is
i the
th total
t t l difference
diff in
i dioptric
di t i power.
 Measuring trifocal power
To measure the trifocal segment directly,
follow the same procedure as for the bifocal
segment, reading the distance segment first,
the intermediate segment second
second, and the
near segment last. It is standard for the
trifocal power to be 50
50%% of the bifocal power;
therefore the usual protocol would be not to
measure the power of the trifocal.
trifocal
Progressive add multifocal lenses
•Progressive add lenses are different from
traditional bifocal or trifocal eyeglasses in that there
are no visible segments dividing the distance and
reading portions of the lenses.
• In order to create this “no-line” appearance the
manufacturing processes often produce unwanted
cylinder power, distortion, or blurred transition
zones between the distance and near segments.
This can make lensometry a little tricky.

Progressive add multifocal lenses Placement of optical

p centers
• When p performing g lensometryy on p
progressive-
g • Optimal
p vision correction is achieved when
add eyeglasses try to select the area with the looking through the optical center of the
least distortion in both distance and the reading eyeglass lens. The lensometer may be
portions
ti off the
th lenses
l b
before
f taking
t ki a reading.
di usedd tto verify
if the
th position
iti off the
th optical
ti l
• Because of the nature of the p progressive
g add,,
center of a lens.
the strongest portion of the add is close to the
bottom of the lens, so try to read the add as • Position the frame in the lensometer as if
close to the bottom of the lens as possible. performing
f i bbasici llensometry,
t make k sure
• Other than these issues lensometry is performed
the frame is sitting flat on the platform and
is lined up properly
properly. Focus the mires and
the same way as with conventional multifocals. center in the target.
 Placement of optical
p centers Placement of optical centers

• If equipped, use the dotting device on

the lensometer to mark the lens. This
the picture on the left is an example mark will be the optical center.
of properly aligned mires and
target, at this point you would dot
the lens
• If there
th is
i no dotting
d tti d device,
i th
then use a
nonpermanent marker to mark the
approximate center of the lens.

Placement of optical centers Lensometry technique for prisms

• Once the optical center of both lenses •LLensometryt measures nott only l
has been found, a millimeter ruler is the power of a prism but also the
used to measure the distance between orientation of the prism base.
the marks on the lenses
lenses.
• This distance should match the patient’s
• The prism orientation may be
interpupillary distance unless there is base in (toward the nose)
nose), base
prism
p s in the
t e lenses.
e ses out (toward the temple), base up,
or base down.
Lensometry technique for prisms Measuring prism power and orientation

• If prism
i is
i ground d iin th
the llens you • OK, you can’t line the mires up with the
will not be able to align the mires g
target…so yyou have pprism,, right?
g Now
with the target. how do you find out how and what type?...

• As mentioned in the previous

the picture on the left is a
chapter regarding optical centers
chapter, centers, representation of mires that cannot
be aligned with the target due to
prism (not drawn to scale)
if the pupil measurement is “off”off
prism will be induced.

To measure the amount of prism

• Count the number of circles from the
central cross of the target
g to the center
of the mires (each circle represents 1
prism diopter)
• Record the direction of the base
according to the displacement off the
mires ((example:
p if mires are displaced
p there are circles on the target.
down, the prism is base down)
Some lensometers are made to
compensate for prism
prism. If your
lensometer has a feature of this type,
please refer to the instruction manual
for more information
information. Also some
lensometers have auxiliary prisms in
the case that there is more prism than
 THE END
Th k You!
Thank Y !