APPLANATION TONOMETRY

Course overview

TONOMETRY INVOLVES DIAGNOSTIC TESTING TO MEASURE THE PRESSURE INSIDE THE EYE OR INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE (IOP). GLAUCOMA IS A SILENT DISEASE THAT CAUSES IRREVERSIBLE FUNCTIONAL PERIPHERAL VISUAL FIELD LOSS THAT CAN ULTIMATELY LEAD TO BLINDNESS IN THE VERY LATE STAGES OF THE DISEASE IF NOT TREATED. TONOMETRY SHOULD BE PERFORMED DURING ROUTINE OPHTHALMIC EXAMINATIONS TO SCREEN FOR GLAUCOMA AND OTHER OCULAR DISEASES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE MAIN INSTRUMENTS BASED ON THE APPLANATION PRINCIPLE AND HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF OBTAINING PRECISE, ACCURATE, AND REPRODUCIBLE MEASUREMENTS OF IOP BY CLINICIANS. THIS ACTIVITY SHOWS THE VARIOUS METHODS, INSTRUMENTS, ADVANTAGES, AND LIMITATIONS IN APPLANATION TONOMETRY.