Accuracy of the Nidek ARK-900 objective refractor in comparion with retinocopy in children age 3 to 18 year Original Reearch Article

Purpoe: To compare the increaed peed and accuracy of the Nidek ARK-900 objective refractor with tandard retinocopy. Method: In a propective tudy, 100 children aged 3 to 18 year were refracted after cycloplegia. Viual acuity meaurement were determined in randomized fahion with the Nidek objective refractor, by retinocopy, and by ubjective refraction. One eye from each patient wa included in the tudy. Reult: Ninety-ix percent of the children read the 20/30 line perfectly with the reult from the objective refractor compared to 88% with retinocopy. The mean ± D viual acuity value obtained with the objective refractor wa 20/24 ± 4.75 and with retinocopy wa 20/27 ± 6.8, a ignificant difference (paired t value = 4.81, P < .001). Concluion: The Nidek ARK-900, repreenting the third generation of objective refractor, i comparable or uperior to retinocopy in accuracy in children, can be eaily run by an ophthalmic technician, and therefore eliminate the phyician’ examination time required for retinocopy.