tonometer

I love my new tonometer

Submitted by Maurice Dubois on Mon, 04/26/2010 - 11:38pm

First of all, from the bottom of my heart, I have to thank Dave for leading me to my purchase of my tonometer; what a fantastic instrument!

Several years ago, my ophthalmologist said that I probably had what is called "normal pressure" glaucoma; my pressure was usually 15-16 whenever he checked me, and the highest he ever recorded was 19 on my right eye. He told me to find a glaucoma specialist, so I did.

I went to the specialist for a couple of years, but several things discouraged me from continuing to see him. I found another ophthalmologist; she was somewhat younger and, I thought, perhaps less apt to be running a Speede Oil Change type of service, to see how many people she could get through her clinic in a day. She was a bit better at the latter, but she refused to give me a prescription for a tonometer. I left her and quickly acquired a tonometer prescription; and by the way, the requirement for a prescription for a non-contact tonometer is as silly as the need for me to have a real estate broker's license to sell real estate, or for a city to have building inspectors.

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Goldman Applanation Tonometer Calibration

Submitted by terry on Sat, 08/01/2020 - 5:21pm

A study by Kumar and Hillier published in Eye in 2009 published a clinical study on this very topic. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the current practice regarding calibration error checks in the United Kingdom and assess the views of senior nursing staff in charge of outpatient clinics as to whom they believe to be responsible for calibration error checks in their department.

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Looking for an affordable NC tonometer in Italy or Europe

Submitted by glammer on Sat, 05/25/2013 - 11:00pm

Hi to all,

I'm an italian guy (33 year old) diagnosed with evolved pigmentary glaucoma in the right eye. I've already lost about my 34% of visual field there, and I'm scared as hell to become half blind in the future. I thnk that self tonometry is one of the very important things I can do to prevent that, to fight back, I mean. But here, seems impossible to find an affordable non-contact tonometer.

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New Tonometer Owner

Submitted by dave on Mon, 05/20/2013 - 9:54pm

We received this comment from a FitEyes member:

I am now the proud owner of a Reichert 7CR. I'd like to participate in the Fiteyes research community and contribute my data. I've just emailed Terry to ask for software, but any pointers for how to collect and look at data would be much appreciated.
 
The picture I am getting of my pressures is remarkably at variance with what my various opthamologists have thought based on the occasional office visit.

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Tonometers and Accuracy

Submitted by pinollxer on Sat, 03/16/2013 - 1:49pm

I have need of a home tonometer but am concerned about their accuracy at the higher pressures, i.e., in the 25 to 35 IOP range. I have noticed that most of the manufacturers’ data, when comparing to the GAT is in the normal range (16 to 21). This has little value to me since for the past 23 years my pressures have been in the mid to high twenties. I have had no vision loss and no indication of any change to the optic nerve.

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The evolution of a self-tonometrist

While there is not much of a learning curve in actually operating one of the newer Reichert or ICare tonometers so that useful and accurate data can be obtained, there is certainly a learning curve in what to do with that data and how to apply it.  In this article we will give a brief summary of the steps in becoming an experienced and effective self-tonometrist.

Becoming familiar and comfortable with the tonometer is the first task after acquiring a new tonometer. This period can be exciting, but also  daunting to some. There is more familiarity with the concept of monitoring one's blood pressure or blood sugar (in the case of diabetes), and so the thought of measuring one's own eye pressures might seem a little odd at first. However, the tonometers used by the FitEyes community for self tonometry are very easy to use, foolproof and accurate. But it is understandable that because the eye pressure monitoring process is deemed suitable only for doctors or clinics, the idea may take a little getting used to. That is why we at FitEyes are here to help you get comfortable and make friends with your tonometer so you don't have to feel like "the Lone Ranger" in the process.  It is important to remind yourself that you are a pioneer and part of a growing community of tonometrists.

The first thing to do after receiving your new tonometer, will be to find a suitable and comfortable place to take your measurements. This should normally be a place where it is fairly quiet, free from interruption, and with cheerful surroundings (emotions do matter). It should also be a place which is fairly clean and where there are no environmental extremes that would be harmful to the instrument. Next, you will fully familiarize yourself with the controls, alignment (if other than Reichert), and any software which might be used.

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Choosing a Tonometer

Deciding whether to monitor your own Eye PressuresReichert 7CR

With self tonometry, the possibility of monitoring eye pressure at home is within every glaucoma patient's reach. And with intraocular pressure as the only current treatable risk factor for glaucoma, those with pre-glaucoma or glaucoma are wise to gather as much data as possible regarding the nature and behavior of their eye pressures. Currently, the practice of monitoring those who are glaucoma suspects (ocular hypertension or OHT) and glaucoma patients entail only receiving routine eye pressure checks at their doctor's office or clinic. It is known by us in the Fiteyes community who test via self tonometry, and by the many studies showing diurnal variations, that eye pressures are far from static (this is even more the case with glaucoma). Therefore, the very infrequent exams that patients are receiving, in our opinion, are completely inadequate in describing the behavior of ocular pressure behavior and variation. This is especially true considering the 'off hours' that doctors don't test the very important night time and morning pressures, and the very important charting of diurnal variation of which Dr. Ritch and others have noted as being a predictor of glaucoma risk (the greater the diurnal variation, the greater the risk factor).
 

Therefore, for one with glaucoma or OHT, the decision to begin the process of self tonometry can be one of the most important, challenging, and rewarding decisions that a person can make. If a person is still undecided whether self tonometry is a worthwhile decision for them, a review of the Fiteyes home page article Why you should Monitor you IOP is highly suggested because it delves into many of these questions, and expounds on some of the pitfalls, objections and concerns which either a doctor or patient may have with the practice of home monitoring of pressures.

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