The Portable PT100 Noncontact Tonometer May Offer An Accurate And Convenient Alternative To Goldmann Applanation Tonometry

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 18 May 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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The portable noncontact PT100 tonometer provides intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements comparable to Gold applanation tonometry (GAT) within the normal range of IOP, according to a new article published online in Clinical Ophthalmology (published by Dove Medical Press).

The results of the trail, which was carried out by Hamilton Eye Institute, University of Tennessee, demonstrates no significant difference between the two methods of measuring intraocular pressure (IOP). The comparability of the results recorded suggests the portable PT100 noncontact tonometer may provide a convenient and accurate means of measuring IOP in the community setting.

However, comments about the article posted on the Society for Clinical Ophthalmology website, note practitioners' concerns about the correlation of measurements in the IOP ≥20mmHg range. The importance of accurate IOP measurements above 20mmHg is of particular importance given the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) glaucoma guidelines that recommend patients with IOP ≥21mmHg should be referred to an ophthalmologist for further investigations.

The study author, Professor Peter Netland, agreed that such concerns are entirely valid and warrant further investigation.

The full article can be accessed through the Society for Clinical Ophthalmology's website. The Society welcomes comments from eye care practitioners across all specialities.

Source
Society for Clinical Ophthalmology

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