Home tonometry for monitoring glaucoma: a pilot study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Home tonometry for monitoring glaucoma: a pilot study of the Icare Home tonometer

• IRAS ID

  178254

• Contact name

  Augusto/AAB Azuara-Blanco

• Contact email

  a.azuara-blanco@qub.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Queen's University Belfast

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Elevated eye pressure (ocular hypertension) is a major risk factor for developing glaucoma. Lowering eye pressure can help prevent development of glaucoma in eyes with elevated eye pressure, slow the worsening of glaucoma in eyes with established glaucoma damage, and reduce the risk of long term visual field loss in those with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. It is important to monitor and lower eye pressure in at risk patients throughout their lifetime.

  Variability of eye pressure is a well recognised feature of glaucoma. Fluctuations in eye pressure may contribute to optic nerve damage and are unlikely to be captured during clinic visits. Accurate eye pressure measurements at different points in time are imperative to assess risk of both glaucoma and glaucoma progression.

  Hand held tonometers have the potential to be used for self monitoring of eye pressure; it allows for eye pressure measurements at different points in time (e.g., early morning and night time). This highly relevant clinical information can be gathered more economically by the patient at home as opposed to attending many hospital visits.

  Goldmann applanation tonometry is considered the gold standard for measuring eye pressure, however it requires a topical anaesthetic, a slit lamp, an experienced examiner and can only be used in a clinic. The Icare Home tonometer is based on a rebound measuring principle that requires no drops or air; neither specialized skills to use it. It doesn’t require anaesthesia, it reduces the risk of cross infection through the use of disposable probes, and it minimizes the risk of corneal injury.

  The objective of this pilot study is to test the feasibility and reliability of the Icare Home tonometer as a method for measuring IOP at home. It will be tested by patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension as part of their standard eye care.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/EM/0217

• Date of REC Opinion

  6 May 2015

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion