Latest News

November 20, 2024
Hinsdale Eye Team
The American Opt...

Patient Testimonials

September 29, 2014
The Hinsdale Eye Team
    To read or leave a Google review, click here.   Lisa Hinchman, March 2018"Dr....

A common question asked during the eye exam is, “When is the puff coming?”  

Patients are referring to air-puff or non-contact tonometry. Tonometry is the procedure used to measure eye pressure, and this is important for diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma.

In non-contact tonometry, a puff of air is used to measure the pressure inside the eye.  The benefit of this test is there is no actual contact with the eye, but the air puff is sometimes very startling for patients. Most people hate that test and it isn’t the most accurate way to measure your eye pressure.

Some doctors don’t even use the air-puff test. Instead, they place a yellow drop that consists of a numbing medicine and then shine a blue light on the eye. This is done in front of the slit lamp and a small tip gently touches the eye to measure the eye pressure. This procedure is called Goldmann tonometry and is considered the gold standard for measuring eye pressure.  

Another method for checking eye pressure is the Tonopen. This is a portable, hand-held instrument that is useful when patients can’t sit in front of the slit lamp to have their eye pressure checked. The Tonopen also requires a numbing drop to be placed in the eye, and the tip gently touches the eye.

A common question related to tonometry is “what normal eye pressure?”

Normal eye pressure ranges from 10-21 mm Hg. Eye pressure doesn't have any relationship to blood pressure. Many times, people are surprised that their eye pressure is high, but they have normal blood pressure. In general, there is no diet or exercise that will significantly affect eye pressure. It is therefore important to have your eye pressure checked regularly because there are usually no symptoms of high eye pressure until it has affected your vision.

Article contributed by Dr. Jane Pan

Patient Resources

We've made our most asked for resources easily available:

Office Details

Hinsdale Eye

201 E. Ogden Avenue, Suite 210
Hinsdale, IL 60521
Office Phone: (630) 560-5652

Fax: (630) 701-3131

Get Directions

Monday: 10:00am - 7:00pm
Tuesday: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Wednesday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Friday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 12:00pm

© Hinsdale Eye | 201 E. Ogden Avenue, Suite 210 | Hinsdale, IL 60521 | (630)-560-5652 | Site Map
Text and photos provided are the property of EyeMotion and cannot be duplicated or moved.