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Glaucoma is a group of diseases associated with optic nerve damage and loss of visual field. The aetiology is not completely understood, but one of the major risk factors is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Reliable methods for measuring the IOP are therefore important. The aim of the study was to investigate the ability of the applanation resonance tonometry (ART) system, based on continuous force and area recording, to measure IOP in humans. Both the phase of initial indentation (IOPIndentation) and the phase when the sensor was removed (IOPRemoval) from the cornea were analysed. The Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) was used as reference method. The study included 24 healthy volunteers with normal IOP and 24 patients with elevated IOP. The correlation and standard deviation (SD) between IOPIndentation and IOPGAT was R = 0.92 (p < 0.001), SD = 3.6 mmHg, n = 104, and between IOPRemoval and IOPGAT R = 0.94 (p < 0.001), SD = 3.1 mmHg, n = 104. In conclusion, resonance sensor technology has made it possible to introduce a new multi-point method for measuring IOP, and the method is relevant for measuring IOP in humans. The study indicates that with further development towards elimination of position dependence, the ART has the potential to become a useful clinical instrument for IOP measurement.

Applanation resonance tonometry (ART) has been shown in a number of studies to be useful for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP). Data from in vitro laboratory bench testing, where the sensor was carefully centralised onto the cornea, has been very consistent with good precision in the determination of IOP. However, in a clinical study the unavoidable off-centre placement of the sensor against the cornea resulted in a reduced precision. The aim of this study was to evaluate a new design of the sensor with a symmetric sensor probe and a contact piece with a larger diameter. Two in vitro porcine eye experimental set-ups were used. One bench-based for examining position dependence and one biomicroscope-based set-up, simulating a clinical setting, for evaluating IOP(ART) precision at seven different pressure levels (1040 mmHg), set by connecting a saline column to the vitreous chamber. The reference IOP was recorded using a pressure transducer. There was no significant difference between four positions 1 mm off centre and the one centre position. The precision of the ART as compared with the reference pressure was +/- 1.03 mmHg (SD, n = 42). The design improvement has enhanced the precision of the ART in the biomicroscope set-up to be in parity with bench test results from a set-up using perfect positioning. This indicates that off-centre positioning was no longer a major contributor to the deviations in measured IOP. The precision was well within the limits set by ISO standard for eye tonometers. Therefore, a larger in vivo study on human eyes with the ART should be performed.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to calibrate and evaluate the precision of the new applanation resonance tonometry (ART) in a clinical study designed in accordance with the International Standard Organization's requirements. METHODS: This was a prospective, randomized, single-center study, where healthy volunteers and patients participated. A total of 153 eyes were divided into 3 groups with respect to their intraocular pressure (IOP) at screening: <16 mm Hg, 16 to 23 mm Hg, and >23 mm Hg. IOP was measured with Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) as reference method and by ART in both a biomicroscope (ARTBiom) and a handheld (ARTHand) setup with a 10-minutes pause between methods. The mean of 6 readings was regarded as one measurement value. RESULTS: Mean age of the subjects was 59 years (range 20 to 87 y). GAT showed a mean IOP of 20.0 mm Hg (range 8.5 to 43.5 mm Hg, n=153). The precision was 2.07 mm Hg for ARTBiom and 2.50 mm Hg for ARTHand, with a significant dependency for age as compared with GAT. Measurement order produced a decreasing IOP with a mean of 2.3 mm Hg between the first and last method. CONCLUSIONS: The precision obtained in both ARTBiom and ARTHand was within the limits set by the International Standard Organization standards for tonometers. The standardized procedure and the stability of the biomicroscope setup resulted in a slightly better precision as compared with the handheld setup. Despite a 10-minutes pause between measurements, the order was a significant factor, possibly because the patients were more apprehensive at the first measurement.

Excimer laser surgery, to correct corneal refraction, induces changes in corneal thickness and curvature. Both factors can cause measurement errors when determining intraocular pressure (IOP). This study evaluates effects of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) on IOP measurements, using Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) and Applanation resonance tonometry (ART), in an in vitro model. Six porcine eyes was enucleated and pressurised to a constant IOP = 30 mmHg. After removal of the epithelium, the eyes were PRK-treated for a total of 25 dioptres. The measured IOP decreased 13.2 mmHg for GAT and 9.0 mmHg for ART. The total underestimation by GAT was larger than for ART, and a part of the ART underestimation (3.5 mmHg) was assigned to sensitivity to the change in corneal surface structure resulting from the removal of epithelium. The flat contact probe of GAT, as compared with the convex tip of ART, provided explanation for the difference in IOP measurement error after PRK.