Tonometry in optometric practice -- the current status

The past two decades have seen enhanced optometric interest in tonometry and in other techniques to assess the ocular and/or general health status. This probably reflects several factors; an increasing role of the optometrist as a primary health care practitioner, the availability of better instrumentation for tonometry, and a far better understanding of the relationship between intraocular pressure and diseases from the group known as the glaucomas. This paper represents an attempt to provide information which may be helpful to the practitioner in determining what tonometer to use and how to utilize tonometric data most effectively.