How Home Tonometry is Changing Glaucoma Management

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Fortunately, there are ways to slow its progression and even prevent it. Tonometry tests play an important role in monitoring eye health for risk of glaucoma. Keep reading to learn how home tonometry tools are changing glaucoma management.

Glaucoma Facts and Risk Factors

Glaucoma is a condition involving damage to the eye’s optic nerve, often with raised intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye). If untreated, this condition gradually causes vision loss.

According to glaucoma.org, more than 3 million people in the US have glaucoma, but nearly half are unaware of their condition. And according to glaucoma.uk, more than a million people live with ocular hypertension, and over 700,000 have glaucoma. This number is expected to rise.

The truth is, glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. But while anyone can develop it, some risk factors make it more likely.

Assessing Glaucoma Risk

Risk factors include hyperopia (farsightedness), myopia (nearsightedness), long-term steroid medication use, advanced age, a family history of glaucoma, hypertension (high blood pressure), and diabetes. People with irregular corneas or who have sustained an eye injury or had eye surgery are also at risk.

Because glaucoma is often asymptomatic in its early stages, it is crucial to monitor patients who have these risk factors.

The latest testing methods help detect glaucoma even in its early stages, and there are different ways to test for glaucoma. These include visual field tests, eye exams to assess damage to the optic nerve, and imaging tests of the optic nerve.

But tonometry is another reliable method for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) that is gaining popularity with clinicians and patients alike.

How Tonometry Testing Helps Detect Glaucoma

Tonometry is a diagnostic test that measures IOP. It can detect changes in eye pressure long before any glaucoma symptoms become noticeable. This makes it an invaluable tool in the detection and management of glaucoma.

But there are different types of tonometry tests.

The Goldmann applanation tonometry test has been the standard for years. It involves using a flat-tipped probe gently pressed against the surface of the eye. There are non-contact tonometry testing tools, too, which use air pressure, like the Tono-Pen.

However, the iCare tonometer is fast becoming the tonometry testing device of choice.

The iCare Tonometer – Portable Accurate IOP Testing

This is a handheld device that offers non-invasive testing with little to no discomfort.

It uses a light probe to touch the cornea for a short time, measuring the deceleration and rebound time to determine the IOP reading. Disposable probes lower the risk of cross-contamination. Some models sync with digital platforms for data analysis and sharing, crucial for long-term glaucoma risk management.

By using portable iCare Tonometers for Accurate IOP Monitoring, practitioners can offer better services for both in-clinic and community outreach programs. Best of all, high-risk patients can use the device at home with minimal training.

The Case for Home Use

Why should a patient use a tonometer at home?

In some cases, patients may show well-controlled IOP in the clinical setting at the time of testing. But other factors could be influencing the reading. To truly gauge their IOP, it becomes necessary to test it outside of clinic hours, too. Home testing may show that they experience IOP spikes at intervals.

IOP can also increase after an injury or eye surgery. By monitoring it at home, any sudden changes can be detected.

Keeping an Eye on Glaucoma Risk Factors

The iCare tonometer is a game-changer for glaucoma testing and management and is in line with current alternative testing trends. In the future, non-invasive, light-based techniques could be more widely used to diagnose issues like glaucoma and even menopause.

However, the important thing is to first identify who is most at risk for developing glaucoma.

Some people have a higher than usual risk of developing glaucoma. Regular eye exams and screening for high blood pressure and type II diabetes, especially in older individuals, can help to detect these risk factors early.

And the earlier, the better. Indeed, adults with diabetes are twice as likely to develop glaucoma, and the risk increases the longer one has diabetes.

Therefore, diabetes prevention and management is also key in the prevention and management of glaucoma. Hormone therapy can reduce insulin resistance and prediabetes in menopausal women. This could, therefore, play a role in reducing glaucoma risk, too.

Final Thoughts

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, and anyone can get it. However, with an understanding of the risk factors of this condition and high-quality tonometry testing, glaucoma can be managed and even prevented.

If you have any of the risk factors mentioned in this article, speak to your doctor about tonometry testing for glaucoma.

Image by Helmut_Strasil from Pixabay

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