Chair and Stand, Refraction Unit, Ophthalmic Unit: What the Names Mean
“Ophthalmic chair and stand”, “refraction unit”, “ophthalmic unit” and “combo unit” usually describe the same kind of furniture: a patient chair, an instrument tabletop and a phoropter arm brought together as one workstation for the refraction room.
The names change with the market and the language. This page lists the common ones, explains what a unit includes, and sets out the configurations you will meet when comparing models.
One piece of furniture, many names.
| Language / market | Common names |
|---|---|
| English (US) | ophthalmic chair and stand, exam chair and stand, combo unit |
| English (international) | refraction unit, ophthalmic unit, ophthalmic workstation, refraction chair unit |
| German | Refraktionseinheit, Refraktionstisch, Behandlungseinheit |
| French | unité de réfraction, combiné de réfraction |
| Spanish | unidad de refracción, unidad oftalmológica, unidad optométrica |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | coluna oftalmológica, conjunto oftalmológico |
| Dutch | refractie-unit |
| Polish | unit okulistyczny, unit optyczny |
| Italian | riunito oftalmico |
Usage overlaps; some suppliers use “unit” for the stand alone and sell the chair separately. Always check what the quotation includes.
What a refraction unit is made of.
- Stand or column — the fixed part that carries everything else and houses the wiring and controls.
- Phoropter arm — swings the phoropter in front of the patient and away again; some lift by motor, some by hand.
- Instrument tabletop — usually motorized for height or travel, sometimes with a second tabletop or a top that slides or rotates between two instruments.
- Patient chair — electric lift, on some models reclining or rotating.
- Controls, lighting and storage — push-button or touch controls, ambient or task light, drawers for trial lenses and tools.
The diagnostic instruments — phoropter, autorefractor, slit lamp, chart projector — are not part of the furniture unless a quotation says so.
The configurations you will meet.
Open frame
A light frame with tabletop and arm, leaving the floor around the chair open. MI-180 takes 900 × 1000 mm as specified.
Cabinet unit
Tabletop and arm built onto a storage cabinet. C-3 (940 × 800 mm) has a screw-driven powered arm lift; C-800 adds a side cabinet.
Column unit
One vertical column carries the arm and a motorized tabletop beside the chair, as on LY-500 with two instrument positions.
Unit with desk or long storage
A consultation desk (TG-1100A) or a long drawer run (TG-1010, 2330 × 1300 mm) joined to the unit.
Chair and instrument table, separately
Not a unit at all: an electric patient chair with a free-standing instrument table. Our selection guide compares the two approaches.
Questions about the names.
What is an ophthalmic chair and stand?
It is the US name for the combined refraction-room workstation: an ophthalmic patient chair and a stand that carries the phoropter arm, the instrument tabletop, lighting and controls. Elsewhere the same furniture is usually called a refraction unit or ophthalmic unit.
Is a refraction unit the same as a chair and stand?
In most catalogues, yes. Some suppliers use “stand” or “unit” for the stand alone and price the chair separately, so check what each quotation includes.
What does a refraction unit include?
A stand or column, a phoropter arm, one or more instrument tabletops, a patient chair, controls, lighting and usually drawers. The instruments are not included unless the quotation says so.
What is a refraction unit called in Germany, Brazil or Poland?
In German it is usually a Refraktionseinheit, in Brazilian Portuguese a coluna oftalmológica (with the chair, a conjunto oftalmológico), and in Polish a unit okulistyczny.
Comparing units from several suppliers?
Send us the quotations’ scope or your instrument list, and we will tell you which of our units matches it and what is included.