Fresh fields

One of the big attractions of Optrafair is the chance to see what is new in the instrument world. I recently visited the Haag-Streit UK headquarters to have a look at a new fields analyser due to be launched at the event. The Octopus 600 unit (Figure 1) was so new that they had not yet received the instruction manual but I was still able to try it out and look at a number of new and interesting features.

Octopus 600

The first striking thing about the Octopus 600 is its small footprint. The cutaway in Figure 2 shows how the unit incorporates a thin-film transistor (TFT) display screen, and a compact projection system, allowing assessment up to 60 degrees eccentricity. The unit is fully internally illuminated and is also nearly silent during operation so might be used anywhere within a practice. There are internal wide aperture lenses to correct the patient for near viewing and the set-up and initiation of the test requires just a few buttons to be pressed and could easily be done by trained ancillary staff.