tonometers

How to Buy a Tonometer and Join FitEyes.com

Submitted by dave on Fri, 05/07/2010 - 10:59pm

UPDATE: You have to purchase a tonometer directly through your doctor. As of mid-2011, tonometers are not aprpoved for home use in the USA yet. That is coming. However, you can still get a tonometer now. Doctors are allowed to prescribe medications and equipment for off-label use, so it is not a problem for your doctor that tonometers are not approved for home use. However, manufacturers and distributors of medical devices cannot recommend or sell a device for off-label use.

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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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Are handheld or portable tonometers appropriate for home eye pressure monitoring?

Submitted by dave on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 12:29pm

In any tonometer (based on today's technology), you can have some, but not all of, the following:

  • ease of use
  • accuracy (reliability and validity of data)
  • low cost
  • portability

handheld portable tonometerPeople tend to give a priority to portability and low cost. New products aimed at this feature set have recently been announced. Does it make sense to utilize those devices for self-tonometry?

We have to agree that any trade off that doesn't include reliability and validity of IOP data invalidates the whole endeavor of self-tonometry. Not only is it meaningless to do it if the data is not of sufficient quality upon which to make important decisions, but it could actually be detrimental to do self-tonometry in that case.

With today's technologies, portability entails user-alignment (in the context of self-tonometry). Proper user-alignment to produce a valid measurement, by definition, depends upon user skill as well as various specific conditions of each measurement. User-alignment, regardless of the tonometer, is difficult! (User-alignment is defined as the operator of the tonometer having to align the tonometer with the eye manually. Alignment is a very precise process requiring a steady hand, good eyesight, training and practice.)

Therefore, the requirement of user-alignment conflicts with the requirement of reliability and validity of IOP data. We cannot guarantee reliability and validity of IOP data when variable user skills are required to produce that data.

If any decent ophthalmologist or scientist (or intelligent thinker) considers a set of IOP data, they must consider how the data was obtained. If patient skill played a critical role in producing that data, as it does when user-alignment is required, the clear thinking person will immediately discount that data. Therefore, the self-tonometrist's efforts may not produce much of value.

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Leading Medical Specialists From Around the World Coalesce Around Self-Tonometry

Submitted by dave on Sun, 01/31/2010 - 11:43am

Leading Medical Specialists Support Self-Monitoring of Eye Pressure by Glaucoma Patients;

Self-tonometry has Potential to Transform Glaucoma Treatment, Says Co-Author of Recent Journal Article

self-tonometry eye pressure monitoringGrowing recognition among leading ophthalmologists and glaucoma specialists of an alternative option for measuring pressure in the eye may offer new hope for four million Americans – and millions more people worldwide – who risk permanent blindness, says a co-author of a recent article in the Survey of Ophthalmology.

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Home Eye Pressure Monitoring Recommended

Submitted by FitEyesAdmin on Sat, 09/12/2009 - 3:38pm

Millions of people around the world should be monitoring their eye pressure (intraocular pressure) at home, according to health organizations (such as  International Society for Self-Tonometry (ISST)) that are issuing recommendations on what to do and how to do it. Many experts, such as Dr.

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Tonometry 101

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/02/2011 - 2:42pm

Many thanks for the painless introduction today. I wound up taking 20 sets of measurements over a 10 hour period. It was incredibly easy to do.

For the first time, I saw how my numbers spike after taking drops and then shortly after start to drop. It was great to be able to actually see this.

I expecially appreciate your remarks about turning it into something fun. My first microscope was like that and while this is much bigger, it is every bit as much fun. Maybe more.

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Tonometer in use!

Submitted by dave on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 10:07pm

I just received the email below. While I love these emails and each one makes me smile, this is a fairly typical response I see when someone receives their new Reichert tonometer. Keep in mind that the expectation from both of us is that we will have a telephone call when the person's new tonometer arrives and I will explain how to use it. The surprising result is that quite often I don't have to explain anything! That's how easy these Reichert tonometers are to use . This is true even for someone who is not good with technology.

Here's the email that just came today:

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AT550

Submitted by sjcooke on Tue, 11/23/2010 - 11:18am

 Just saw a used AT550 on ebay.  I wanted to ask a couple of questions.  I read some past posts that suggested that the AT550 wasn't good for self-tonometry.........why is this??  Sounds like you just look at something, push a button, and it takes the measurement.  Sounds fairly user-friendly.  Also, if I were to buy a used instrument, how much do you think it would cost?  How much are one of these new??  Thanks for your answers on this one. 

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