Abstract: There is described a refraction device for the subjective determination of the spherical and astigmatic sight properties of the eye of a patient, which has a beam dividing device for two partial beam paths. Arranged in each partial beam path is a cylindrical compensator which has at least one positive cylindrical lens and at least one negative cylindrical lens. The or each positive and negative cylindrical lenses of each cylindrical compensator are displaceable relative to each other by means of a first drive device for cylinder height determination. Each cylindrical compensator is rotatable by means of a second drive device for cylinder axis determination. The sphere can be adjusted by means of a commercially available phoropter or by means of a disk having spherical lenses or by means of a range selector plate with spherical lenses or by focal point adjustment of converging lenses corresponding to the principle of the astronomical telescope.