title: [Clinical and experimental results with a new fully automatic self-tonometer].
abstract: In a clinical study 25 patients being treated at the Department of Ophthalmology in the Hamburg University were instructed in self-tonometry using a new automatic tonometer. In a first sequence, three self-measurements were taken by the patients within 1 min; then a control measurement with a motor-driven hand applanation tonometer (HAT) was taken by a physician. The procedure was repeated 6-10 min afterwards without new local anesthesia. In addition, a dynamometer was applied to 5 healthy eyes in order to test the self-tonometer at higher pressure levels. The correlation of repetitive measurements of the self-tonometer showed good results for the patient measurements (r1 = 0.97, SD1 = 1.66 mmHg, r2 = 0.96, SD2 = 1.47 mmHg) and slightly worse values for the measurements with the dynamometer (r3 = 0.97, SD3 = 2.02 mmHg), probably due to the non-physiological deformation of the eye induced by the dynamometer. To establish accuracy, the results were compared to the HAT. The following results were achieved: (r1 = 0.97, s1 = 1.71 mmHg, r2 = 0.96, s2 = 1.49 mmHg, r3 = 0.97, s3 = 2.69 mmHg). Other studies with the self-tonometer will follow in order to optimize its accuracy and design. Self-tonometry under conditions of microgravity is planned for the 2nd German Spacelab Mission and the Russian Space station MIR. In the future, self-tonometry will play an important part in the management of glaucoma.
authors.affiliation: Universitäts-Augenklinik, Hamburg, Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Draeger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deutsch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Groenhoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004867:Equipment Design; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D012016:Reference Values; D013552:Swine; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular / Q000295:instrumentation*
vernacular_title: Klinische und experimentelle Ergebnisse mit einem neuen vollautomatischen Selbsttonometer.