Overview
Combination instrument that perform 3 or more tasks at once are attractive. They save space on the pre-test table, improve efficiency, and typically save in initial investment from buying multiple instruments. And for that reason alone, the KR-8000PA should be an attractive buy for more Optometrists. It offers superior ARK accuracy, basic topography for contact lens fitting, and maintains a compact footprint in the pretest room. It does however require an external computer + software package (from Topcon) which clearly takes the device from one machine, and puts it to another. While the KR-8000PA will perform topography and provide a VERY basic K-Axial Map read-out, it is in black and white, and the scale (of black and white shades) may be difficult to assess. This didn’t give us a lot of confidence when fitting contact lenses with just the unit. The actual display is in black and white itself- utilizing an infrared camera just like that of the basic KR-8000 Autorefractor, however measurements are still easy to take, with auto-align and auto capture. Topcon’s Color Mapping 32 Software is easy-to-use, and produces enlarged color maps, tangential axial maps, sagittal maps, refractive and keratometric data, and peripheral keratometric maps.