Reliability of Intraocular Pressure Measurements in a Low-Contact Drive-Through Setting

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Glaucoma Management
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Drive-through intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement using iCare tonometry offers low-contact, high-throughput monitoring.
• The iCare tonometer may be susceptible to errors from variable measurement techniques and air currents, potentially leading to IOP overestimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reliability of drive-through IOP measurements.
• To compare drive-through IOP measurements with in-clinic measurements during the COVID-19 pandemic for glaucoma patient monitoring.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study compared drive-through IOP measurements with recent in-clinic measurements.
• Data from 314 patients (868 measurements) were analyzed, excluding those with pre-drive-through IOPs >21 mmHg.
• Measurements were compared to the closest previous and/or subsequent in-clinic IOP readings.

Main Results:

• Drive-through IOP measurements were, on average, 2.4 mmHg higher than in-clinic measurements.
• 68.6% of drive-through IOPs were higher than corresponding in-clinic readings, with 25.9% showing an increase of over 5 mmHg.
• Differences were observed in both the right (OD) and left (OS) eyes, with slight variations when compared to previous or subsequent clinic visits.

Conclusions:

• Drive-through iCare IOP measurements may overestimate IOP, necessitating confirmation with in-clinic measurements for significant changes.
• As teleophthalmology expands, optimizing the accuracy of drive-through tonometry is crucial for effective glaucoma care.
• Despite potential inaccuracies, drive-through tonometry remains a promising method for high-throughput, low-contact IOP monitoring.