Rebound tonometry emerging technique for assessing reliability of IOP measurements: Study

USA: In three prospective trials, the iCare rebound tonometer exhibited considerably reduced test-retest variability than Goldmann tonometry, as well as strong interoperator and inter-device repeatability, demonstrating its use in tracking intraocular pressure (IOP) changes over time. The lower measurement variability and good interoperator and inter-device reproducibility of rebound tonometry (RT) suggest that it can characterize IOP changes over time more robustly than Goldmann tonometry, assisting clinicians in assessing the efficacy of glaucoma therapy and the consistency of IOP control.

Tony Realini and the team conducted this study with the goal of defining intraoperator, inter-operator, and inter-device dependability of IOP measurements using rebound tonometry (RT, ic100). The findings of this study were published in the Journal of Glaucoma, in the month of August 2021.

At the West Virginia University Eye Institute, three prospective cross-sectional investigations were undertaken on a diverse sample of adult patients with established glaucoma, probable glaucoma, or no glaucoma. Participants in Study 1 had 5 RT measures taken in one randomly selected eye and 5 Goldmann tonometry measurements taken in the other eye by 1 operator, with intraoperator variability evaluated using the F test. In study 2, three operators in randomized operator order each collected three RT measurements from subjects. In trial 3, a single operator took three measurements, each with three RTs, in randomized device order. Intra-class correlation coefficients were used to measure between-operator and between-device reproducibility (ICCs).

In all, 28, 19, and 25 subjects participated in the three investigations. Within-subject variation in RT measures was 0.757 and 2.471 in Goldmann measurements. The interoperability of RT measurements was good in both eyes. The inter-device repeatability of RT measurements was close to excellent.

In conclusion, with the observed positive outcomes of this above study, this technique can be pushed forward to regular use, making it easier to assess glaucoma.

Reference:

Realini, Tony MD, MPH*; McMillan, Brian MD*; Gross, Ronald L. MD†; Devience, Eva MD‡; Balasubramani, Goundappa K. PhD§ Assessing the Reliability of Intraocular Pressure Measurements Using Rebound Tonometry, Journal of Glaucoma: August 2021 - Volume 30 - Issue 8 - p 629-633 doi: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000001892