Clinic technology

The equipment behind an eye examination.

Measurements and images show the surgeon what no examination by eye can. Which tests are used depends on what brought you in.

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The glass-walled diagnostic hall at Global Eye Clinic
The modular operating theatre at Global Eye Clinic, shown in a clinic-branded panel: a HEPA filtered clean air surgical suite, with bladeless laser, Alcon Centurion Revalia phaco technology and an Alcon LuxOR microscope, and a footer noting JCI and NABH accreditation, advanced diagnostic technology, expert ophthalmologists and surgeons, international standards of safety and a patient-centric approach
Global Eye Clinic, Mumbai
How it is used

Equipment supports a clinical decision. It does not make one.

A machine produces a number or an image. What that means for your eyes depends on your symptoms, your history and the rest of the examination. Suitability for any procedure is decided by the treating clinician, never by a single scan.

  • Nothing is decided from a single readingMost measurements are repeated, compared against your earlier visits, or read alongside a second test before they change anything.
  • Not every test applies to every patientThe equipment used for one person may not be needed for another. The treating clinician decides what is appropriate after the examination.
  • You can ask what a test is forAsk what a device measures, how long it takes, and whether it involves drops that will blur your vision on the way home.
Overview

What an examination measures

An eye examination is a sequence of measurements. Some describe how well you see and what correction you need. Others describe the physical structures of the eye: the shape of the cornea, the length of the eyeball, the pressure inside it, and the condition of the retina and optic nerve.

Together these build a record that can be compared visit to visit. For conditions such as glaucoma, that comparison over time matters more than any individual result.

The equipment used here.

Naming the platforms matters, because the technology available in theatre shapes what can be planned and how precisely it can be delivered.

  • Cataract surgery Alcon Centurion Vision SystemThe phacoemulsification platform used for cataract removal. It adjusts fluid pressure inside the eye continuously during surgery, which supports the stability that micro-incision technique depends on.
  • Visualisation Alcon LuxOR Revalia surgical microscopeThe operating microscope used for lens and corneal surgery, giving the depth and clarity of view that intraocular work requires.
  • Lens planning Tomey optical biometryOptical measurement of the eye's length and curvature. These are the numbers that determine which intraocular lens power is selected, so their accuracy sets the ceiling on the visual result.
  • Diagnostics Optopol REVO OCT, topography and perimetryOCT scans of the retina and optic nerve, corneal topography, and visual field testing. Together these establish whether a treatment is suitable before it is offered, and give a baseline to measure against later.

What gets measured

A consultation will not include all of these. The relevant ones are selected after the clinician has heard your concern.

  • Refraction Your spectacle prescriptionThe lens power that gives you the clearest vision, checked with a phoropter or a trial frame and lenses.
  • Biometry Eye length and lens powerMeasurements used to plan cataract or lens surgery, including the power of a lens that would be implanted.
  • Topography The shape of the corneaA map of curvature and thickness across the front surface of the eye. Central to assessing laser vision correction, and to following conditions such as keratoconus.
  • Imaging The retina and optic nervePhotographs and cross-sectional scans of the back of the eye, which show layers that cannot be seen directly.
  • Perimetry Your field of visionA test of how much you can see away from the point you are looking at. Used in glaucoma assessment and repeated over time.
  • Tonometry Pressure inside the eyeA pressure reading, interpreted alongside corneal thickness rather than read as a single number in isolation.
In theatre

Surgical equipment

Lens and corneal surgery is performed under an operating microscope, with systems that control the instruments used during the procedure. Planning for that surgery is done beforehand, from the measurements taken in clinic.

If a procedure has been recommended to you, the clinician will explain what is involved on the day, what anaesthesia is used, and what the follow-up looks like.

What people usually ask

These answers are general. Your examination determines what applies to you.

Will any of the tests hurt?

The routine measurements are not painful. Some involve a bright light or a puff of air, and some require anaesthetic drops that numb the surface of the eye first. Tell the person doing the test if anything is uncomfortable.

Will my vision be blurred afterwards?

If your pupils are dilated with drops, your near vision will be blurred and you will be light-sensitive for a few hours. Arrange for someone else to drive, and bring sunglasses.

How long does a full assessment take?

It depends on which tests are needed. A focused consultation is shorter than a full pre-surgical assessment. The clinic can tell you what to expect when you book.

Can I get my scans and reports?

Ask the clinic team. Records can usually be shared with you or with another treating doctor on request.

Does having the equipment mean I am suitable for a procedure?

No. Measurements describe your eyes. Whether a procedure is appropriate is a clinical judgement made after the examination, and some results rule options out rather than in.