We compared the reliability of measurements of three keratometers and keratometry readings from a corneal topography system to determine if they were as accurate as the "gold standard" Javal-Schiotz keratometer. Same-day measurement of the steepest and flattest powers of the central 3 mm of the corneas of 200 eyes (100 patients) revealed no statistically significant difference in reliability between the newer keratometers and the Javal-Schiotz. In addition, the newer machines are more convenient and efficient in some clinical settings.