The use of a new portable noncontact tonometer in home tonometry

We used a new portable noncontact tonometer for home tonometry on 26 patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma or suspected low-tension glaucoma. In an outpatient setting, the mean difference and correlation coefficient between the family member's noncontact tonometry values and the nursing staff's applanation tonometry values used as a control was 1.0mmHg and 0.894mmHg, respectively. The difference between the means was not statistically significant (P greater than .05, by Student's t test). At home, the variances of four noncontact tonometric values obtained every other hour did not differ significantly from those obtained in the outpatient setting by the nursing staff (P greater than .05). Five of 26 patients had their medical regimen changed based on the results of home tonometry. This study suggests that many nonmedical personnel can do noncontact tonometric scanning reliably. At home, noncontact tonometry may help evaluate a patient's intraocular pressure control.