[Tono-pen versus manometer. Comparative measurements of intraocular pressure in human cadaver eyes]

A new hand-held tonometer, the Tono-Pen (TP), was compared with a Statham membrane manometer (MAN). The TP is a pen-sized Mackay-Marg tonometer with electronic signal analysis and digital pressure display. Comparative measurements of intra-ocular pressure (IOP) were performed on six cadavers (12 eyes in situ), 3-6 hours after death. The IOP was changed in 5 to 10 mm Hg steps in a range between 0 and 60 mm Hg by an infusion system. As compared to the manometrically determined IOP, the TP gave small overestimation of IOP below 17 mm Hg and a small underestimation above 17 mm Hg (maximum deviation 2.5 mm Hg). The mean values of 29.9 (TP) and 30.4 mm Hg (MAN) were not significantly different (p greater than 0.05, analysis of variance). The correlation coefficient was 0.99. The relationship between TP (y axis) and MAN (x axis) pressure readings is characterized exactly by a slightly curvilinear graph (y = 0.82x + 0.0002x2 + 2.52; mm Hg). This may be approximated by a regression line with a slope of 0.94, a y intercept of 1.46 mm Hg and a standard deviation of the TP readings in relation to the regression line of 2.36 mm Hg. In conclusion, the good agreement between TP and MAN pressure readings is superior to the recently described agreement between TP and Goldmann tonometer readings.