iCare® Home vs Goldmann Applanation Tonometry: Agreement of the Methods and Comparison of Inter-observer Variation at a Tertiary Eye Centre

Since a few years back, self-tonometry with iCare® Home has been available in glaucoma care. Sankt Erik's Eye Hospital was first in Sweden to use the new technology. Several studies have shown good agreement between measurements made by patients or healthcare professionals with iCare® Home and Goldman applanation tonometry (GAT). However, some researchers raise critical voices about the reliability of iCare® Home measurements because they can differ from GAT. GAT is considered the gold standard method of tonometry to which all other instruments are compared. But like all other methods, GAT has some limitations.

At the clinic, the eye pressure is usually measured with GAT by different staff (ophthalmological nurses, opticians or doctors) from visit to visit. This can sometimes lead to pressure variations that may affect the follow-up of glaucoma patients. This raises the question of whether the difference between GAT and iCare® Home is statistically and clinically significant.

The purpose of this study was to show that the eye pressure measurements made with iCare® Home by patients / relatives do not vary more than those made with the standard method GAT by different healthcare professionals. This will hopefully confirm the usefulness of self-tonometry.