New technologies for measuring intraocular pressure.

The level of intraocular pressure (IOP) is the main known risk factor for the development and progression of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Despite Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) being the gold standard for determining IOP since the last century, its limitations were obvious from the start and include substantial effects of several eye variables such as axial length, curvature, rigidity, and corneal thickness. These limitations have prompted the development of numerous formulas and nomograms designed to compensate for the ocular characteristics effect on GAT, but none of these methods has been entirely satisfactory. Similarly, as a result of efforts to mitigate some of the limitations of conventional tonometry, several new tonometers have appeared on the scene.