The College of Optometrists

Hiya, my ret is appalling, I am always either 90 degrees off axis or I just get it totally wrong. Does anyone know a different technique which guarantees excellent results? Many Thanks

Yep - I know! First though - do a search on this site - there is advice from last year.

Do you ret on everyone, and set them up to look a small target. You are almost certainly using steps that are too small.

I tend to use large steps - I rarely bother with +0.25 steps. The trick is knowing when to stop. So look at the reflex - a couple of flicks and decide if its with or against. then dump in a +1 or more dioptres. Aim to get reversal first lens. That then narrows down your final lens quite a lot.

Instead of fiddling with lenses to get reversal - move backwards and forwards to get reversal.

Many optoms do ret over the px glasses Rx rather than starting from cold - that way - they know what that px's refrlex looks like and what their reversal looks like.

-steve

Check that your ret collar is fully down as you will get reversal of the reflex if your collar is up!

Make sure you are on the visual axis and measure your working distance for a bit to make sure you are not over or under estimating your working distance lens.

Above all else practice, practice, practice.

Thanks a lot guys-much appreciated. I think Steve is right I do really small intervals but for some reason I neutralise the wrong meridian too! (I know fastest with slowest against movement first but how do you rate these speeds?) Ret collar always down and am on axis but with my short stature my arms length is prob 50 cm instead of the conventional 67cm which I will recheck tomorrow in practice. Thanks again for the advice.

Yes -a tape measure is a very valuable instrument - use it to check reading distances as well (before you work out the add = get the px to hold the book where they like to)

Okay on the ret. I had a hard job learning it as well.

Idea: When you are doing it on the 'other eye' - get them to look to a point on the other side of your face - then you don't have to move over to the other side of the px.

I usually move to the other side however. If you find the meridan difficult - then get in closer and aim to get one meridian done. Once you've done it a few times - then it may click. Be consistant and only use the negative cyls - or the plus cyls. We all get the axes wrong - so don't give yourself a hard time - but try to go from low cyl powers to higher and only do steady steps - say - 0.50 yl steps, as you get close the sph merian power may look 'out' - ignore that (its easiest by subjective).

Try to minimise your lens changes - that always helps! And make the room dark - get a new battery - and go in bright!

good luck hope it helps steve