Principles of contact lens tonometry

We constructed a contact lens with an integrated pressure-sensing device. It is housed in a container with three force-sensing elements, each 120 degrees apart, enabling measurement of the appositional force, i.e., the force with which the instrument is held against the eye. In part 1 of the study, the lens' precision was tested against a manometric transducer in five eye bank eyes. The second part examined pressure as a factor dependent on the appositional force, and the third part of the study investigated the correct procedure for measuring baseline eye pressure, p0. The instrument described here allows investigation of three examination parameters: (a) the measurement of p0, the pressure independent of the appositional force; (b) the continuous measurement of the intraocular pressure (IOP); (c) the measurement of the IOP dependent on the appositional force, including artificial IOP elevation.