QuickSee Free: The Handheld Autorefractor That Goes Where Your Patients Are

Desktop Accuracy. Handheld Freedom.

The autorefractor has been a fixture in the optical testing room for decades. Reliable, accurate, and entirely fixed to a desk. For most practices, that has simply been accepted as a fact of life.

The QuickSee Free from PlenOptika challenges that assumption. It is a handheld autorefractor that uses wavefront aberrometry to deliver measurement accuracy comparable to high-end clinical desktop units — in a device that weighs under 750 grams and goes wherever the clinician goes.

For independent practices thinking about how to make better use of their clinical space, expand into domiciliary work, or simply improve the experience for patients who struggle with traditional equipment, it is worth understanding what this device actually does.

How It Works

The QuickSee Free is built around PlenOptika's patented Wavefront Refraction Engine™, which performs continuous data analysis to determine refractive errors. The open-view design — no chin rest, no forehead bar, no forced alignment — means patients look naturally into the device rather than being positioned against it. That matters clinically, particularly for patients with mobility limitations, children, or anyone for whom a standard autorefractor presents a practical challenge.

Measurements are taken in ten seconds. The spherical range runs from -12.00D to +10.00D and the cylindrical range from -8.00D to +8.00D, both in increments as small as 0.01D. Axial range covers 0 to 180 degrees. No dilation is required. No special lighting is needed. The device works indoors and outdoors, in most light conditions.

Clinical accuracy has been evaluated in five IRB-based studies and documented in seven peer-reviewed publications. Agreement with subjective refraction sits within 0.25D for 70 to 75 percent of patients and within 0.5D for 80 to 90 percent — figures that put it in the same territory as the desktop units it is designed to replace or complement.

Two Models: Free and Free Pro

The QuickSee Free handles autorefraction. The QuickSee Free Pro adds keratometry, measuring radius of curvature from 5 to 12mm in 0.01mm increments and corneal astigmatism up to ±8D. The Pro is designed for optometric and ophthalmological practices where contact lens fitting, corneal assessment, or more detailed reporting is part of the clinical workflow.

Both models are UKCA and CE MDR compliant — Class IIa medical devices — and both are factory calibrated with no field calibration required. The interface runs in 15 languages and operates from a 2.4-inch colour touchscreen readable outdoors. Battery life is up to six hours of continuous use on a 10,000 mAh Li-ion battery, charging via USB-C medical grade adapter.

The Ecosystem Around the Device

The QuickSee Free stores over 10,000 measurements on the device itself. A Bluetooth printer comes included and pre-paired, for chairside results printing without the need for a connected computer. The QuickSee Companion App — available for Android, Windows and MacOS — allows data download, patient information management, device customisation, firmware updates, and production of printable visual exam reports. For the Pro, the app also generates detailed reports including wavefront maps, Zernike coefficients and point spread function graphs.

What This Means for an Independent Practice

The practical implications for an independent practice are specific and worth thinking through carefully.

First, domiciliary. If your practice offers home visits — or is considering it — a handheld autorefractor that delivers clinical-grade measurements in the patient's front room, without specialist lighting or furniture, changes what is possible. The QuickSee Free was designed with exactly this kind of field use in mind and is built to operate in humid and dusty environments as well as standard clinic conditions.

Second, patient accessibility. The open-view design and handheld format make accurate autorefraction achievable for patients who struggle with traditional equipment — those with limited neck mobility, patients in wheelchairs, bedbound patients, and young children. Fogging lenses for paediatric exams are available as an optional accessory.

Third, clinical workflow. A more accurate starting point for subjective refraction means shorter, more efficient testing. The device accelerates the refraction process, which has implications for patient throughput in a busy independent practice without compromising the quality of the clinical outcome.

The QuickSee Free won the SILMO CDO Award in 2023 and is available in the UK through Grafton Optical. More information is available at graftonoptical.com.

If you are building or growing an independent practice and want support thinking through the equipment decisions that make the most difference to your clinical offer, Grow Independent is the place to start.