Visionstar ACP-100

Premises that cannot host a conventional lane are the whole point of this instrument. A great many UK optical practices occupy buildings never designed for them — converted retail units, upper floors of terraces, back rooms carved from whatever remained after the dispensing area. Conventional refraction needs an effective six metres, and where that is not available the practice has historically compromised the room layout, installed mirrors that complicate the geometry, or done without a second testing room. A 1.1 metre working distance removes the constraint rather than accommodating it, which changes what a building can be asked to do.

Second and overflow testing rooms follow directly. A practice with one properly equipped lane and a spare room too small to be another can make that room work without structural alteration. For a growing practice, or one running locum cover on busy days, that is capacity gained from space that was previously unusable.

Domiciliary and community providers with a fixed base use it for verification and follow-up between visiting lists, where a full lane would be an extravagant use of limited premises. Shared and multi-purpose clinic rooms benefit from the enclosed optical path specifically, since ambient light never reaches the targets and the test does not depend on the room being darkened — which is not always possible in a space serving several functions across a week.

The instrument covers acuity measurement with grating and baffle isolation for crowding assessment, and red-green filtering for duochrome refinement and dissociation. Two things belong in the decision honestly. Icon conversion at an average 0.45 seconds is the slowest in this class and a perceptible pause, which is a fair trade for making an impossible room usable but not for a high-throughput lane that has space anyway. And at 20 kg the host is a fixed installation requiring a properly rated surface, not equipment that moves between rooms.

Makes an unusable room usable

A 1.1 metre working distance turns rooms that could never host a six-metre lane into working testing rooms. For practices in converted or upper-floor premises this is not a convenience — it is the difference between having a lane and not.

No mirror, no screen, no wall

The optical path is internal, so there is nothing to mount opposite the patient, no mirror geometry to work out and no wall area to keep clear. Room layout stops being dictated by the chart.

Ambient light never reaches the targets

A sealed enclosure holds contrast regardless of room lighting. A projected chart competes with whatever light is present, which is why refraction rooms are dimmed; this one does not care, which matters in shared and multi-purpose spaces where lighting cannot be controlled.

Capacity from space you already have

A spare room too small for a conventional lane becomes a second testing position without building work. For a practice needing overflow or locum capacity, that is a considerably cheaper answer than reconfiguring the premises.

The operator sees what the patient sees

The LCD handset displays the chart currently presented, so the clinician does not turn round to check, and can show the patient the target being discussed. For the explanation that follows a refraction, having something to point at helps.

Isolation for the crowding comparison

Grating and baffle functions present targets singly, or as a single line or column. Comparing crowded against isolated acuity distinguishes a genuine resolution limit from a crowding effect, which is routine information in amblyopia work.

Height set to the patient, not the room

Four hundred millimetres of screen adjustment sets target height to the seated patient's eye level. At 1.1 metres small height differences produce noticeable angular offsets, so this adjustment does real work rather than being a convenience.

Stable and settled in use

Twenty kilograms sitting low on a solid surface means the unit does not move, drift or need re-aiming. Once sited and set, the geometry stays where it was put.

Less to keep clean than a projector and screen

With the optical path sealed, routine cleaning is limited to the viewing aperture rather than a lens plus a screen surface that both collect dust and both degrade contrast when they do.

Enclosed camera obscura optical path

The optical path is folded inside a sealed enclosure, presenting targets at conventional angular subtense from a physical distance of 1.1 metres.

1.1 metre working distance

The patient sits 1.1 metres from the unit, allowing a full acuity examination in rooms that cannot accommodate a conventional six-metre lane, direct or mirrored.

Thirty-two visual targets

Thirty-two selectable targets cover acuity rows and the specialist charts used across a routine distance examination.

Icon baffle with single, horizontal and vertical isolation

The baffle presents a single optotype, a horizontal line or a vertical column, isolating targets to remove contour interaction.

Grating function

The grating function displays targets individually or separately, supporting the isolated-versus-crowded comparison used in amblyopia assessment.

Red and green filter

A red and green filter supports duochrome refinement of the spherical endpoint and red-green dissociation testing.

LCD remote handset

The 70 × 248 × 18 mm handset carries its own display showing the currently presented chart, letting the operator check the target without turning and show it to the patient.

3.7 V rechargeable remote battery

The handset runs on a 3.7 V battery, with the unit entering standby after 3 to 10 minutes at the remote switch.

400 mm screen height adjustment

The display adjusts vertically through 400 mm, setting target height to the seated patient's eye level.

12V 35W halogen illumination

A 12V 35W halogen lamp illuminates the internal targets, replaceable as a routine maintenance item.

400 × 280 × 560 mm host

The host measures 400 mm wide, 280 mm deep and 560 mm high, sitting as a fixed installation on a table or worktop.

20 kg host mass

At 20 kg the unit is stable and settled in use, requiring a solid surface rated for the load and treated as a permanent siting rather than a movable instrument.

110/220V operation

The host operates on 110/220V at 50/60 Hz; UK mains suitability and plug configuration are confirmed in writing at order.

Standby after 3–10 minutes

The unit enters standby after 3 to 10 minutes, switched at the remote, extending lamp life and reducing heat.

The Visionstar ACP-100 solves a problem no conventional chart projector can: it makes a full distance acuity examination possible in 1.1 metres. By folding the optical path inside a sealed enclosure, it removes the six-metre lane, the mirror and the screen from the room entirely, which for practices in converted retail units, upper floors and back rooms is the difference between having a testing room and not. The sealed path also removes ambient light from the measurement, so contrast holds regardless of how well the room can be darkened. Thirty-two targets with grating and baffle isolation support the crowding comparison used in amblyopia work, a red/green filter covers duochrome, and an LCD handset shows the operator the current chart and turns towards the patient for the explanation afterwards. It suits space-constrained premises, second and overflow testing rooms, and shared clinic spaces where lighting cannot be controlled. Two things belong in the decision: icon conversion at an average 0.45 seconds is the slowest in this class, and at 20 kg the host is a fixed installation needing a properly rated surface. Medigear.uk supplies the ACP-100 into the UK with pre-despatch functional inspection, documentation review and mains suitability confirmation. Contact the Medigear.uk team for current pricing, quantity quotations, room survey guidance, or bespoke configuration enquiries.